WEEK 11: YOUR BEST END OF SUMMER COCKTAIL
Blackberry Caipirinha
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY MISSGINSU | MAKES 1 DRINK
A&M: A classic caipirinha is made with cachaça (distilled from sugarcane), sugar, and lime juice. MissGinsu’s version doesn’t stray far—she adds fresh blackberries, which dye the drink a deep purple. It’s bright and a little austere. The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of sugar, but you may want to add more to taste if your blackberries are tart. Add any extra sugar after the drink is shaken, and shake it again to dissolve the added sugar. If you can’t find cachaça, you can use white rum.
6 to 8 plump blackberries
1 teaspoon sugar
½ lime, cut into 3 wedges
2 ounces cachaça (or white rum)
¾ cup ice cubes
- In a shaker or pint glass, muddle/mash up the blackberries and the sugar with 2 of the lime wedges.
- Add the cachaça or rum and the ice. Cover well and shake vigorously.
- Remove and discard the crushed lime wedges. Pour the mixture into a rocks glass and use the remaining wedge of lime as a garnish.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
MissGinsu said: “If you want to, you can run a little water or lime around the rim of the rocks glass and dip it in sugar before you pour in the cocktail to give it a pretty edge.”
And: “Keep in mind, this is a drink that requires a good, fierce muddling.” So don’t hold back.
ABOUT THE COOK
Leitha Matz is a Web-content manager and writer living in New York City. Here’s her blog: Miss Ginsu (www.missginsu.com).
Her favorite entertaining tip: “Whether you’re at a fancy party or a basic shindig, pigs in blankets are always one of the first things to go. Even if they’re made with veggie dogs or beef franks. People just go crazy for tiny sausages wrapped in pastry.”