Olympics season in Rio is riding higher than a flipping gymnast, and Iām craving caipirinhasāthose Brazilian drinks that sip like mojitos. Itās not easy to pronounce (say it with me: ki-pa-REEN-ya), but it's easy to drink. And it's easy to makeāas long as you follow a few muddling rules.
Because the caipirinha is all about the muddling; it requires that you muddle lime and sugar together to release the lime's juices and oil. And far too often, the muddling is where a potentially good drink takes a tumble.
Soāquick!ābefore the Olympics are over, learn these three rules of muddling. Then practice, practice, practice until you get a medal.
Proper muddlers have two endsāone has a small circumference (about the size of a quarter), the other is bigger and broader. For herbs, you want to use the smaller end, which will help prevent you from bruising the leaves. For berries, cucumbers, lime chunks (as in the caipirinha), and other large fruits and vegetables, use the broad end of the muddler. And if you donāt have a proper muddler? The broad end (that is, the spoon end) of a wooden spoon works for larger produce; herbs can simply get a few whacks with the palm of your hand.
Sugar is great in cocktails as a seasoning, but it doesnāt dissolve well in cold liquids, so it often floats to the bottom of the glass. So unless you're using simple syrup (which dissolves beautifully), muddle the sugar along with the rest of the ingredients. Muddling the sugars into other ingredients allows them to bind easier with the pulp and oils, making every sip sweet, be it a caipirinha or a flavorful punch.
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Caipirinhas are among the most fun cocktails to muddle, because you want to really pulverize those limes (and sugar!). But when you muddle herbs for a cocktail (or iced coffee), you're simply trying to wake up the aromasānot pound the herbs into a paste. Plants have defenses against harassment, and if muddled too much, they'll release volatile, chemical-like flavors. And that's not cute.
