Drink Something: Kai-Pee-Reen-Ya

It's a gorgeous eighty degrees outside. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I am desperately wishing for an icy cold cocktail in my hot little hands. There is nothing in life that pleases me more than relaxing on the back deck with a book, a cocktail, and the hum of a lawnmower in the distant background. In honor of this beautiful Mother's Day Eve, I have decided to break out my bottle of Cachaca (a Brazilian rum, pronounced: ka-shah-suh) and make a very large Caipirinha.
For those of you unfamiliar with this Brazilian staple, please keep in mind that it is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who prefer those cloying, candied, toothaches that bartenders are now passing off as proper cocktails.
The perfect Caipirinha should be tart, with just a hint of sweetness, and pack quite a punch. There are only three ingredients, making this very impressively named drink, ridiculously easy to make. You will need a muddler, brown or raw sugar and crushed ice, if available. A muddler is a wooden object used to crush fresh ingredients in a glass in order to release as much flavor as possible. In this case, we want to release as much juice from the pulp and as much oil from the skins as we can. You'll want to make sure that you stir as you sip to ensure that the sugar dissolves into the drink. There is nothing worse than getting to the bottom of a drink only to find that you now have to chew it.

CAIPIRINHA
1/2 lime, wedged
2 t. sugar
ice
2 1/2 oz. cachaca
Place lime wedges and sugar in the bottom of a rocks glass. Muddle for about a minute until the fruit and sugar are thoroughly demolished. This will help dissolve the sugar. Fill glass with crushed ice and top with cachaca. Give it a good stir and enjoy.

Happy Mother's Day my darlings.