This is the drink of the summer! Tart, crisp, and built for heat. The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail—but more than that, it’s the drink you want in your hand when the sun’s out, the grill is on, and the music’s louder than the conversation. It’s unfussy and full of life. You don’t sip a Caipirinha to be polite. You sip it because it’s summer and you’re not in a rush.

Made with cachaça (a sugarcane spirit with more edge than rum), muddled lime, and coarse sugar, it’s mixed directly in the glass and poured over ice. Easy to batch, easy to love—this one disappears fast.

Recipe

• 2 oz cachaça
  
  

• ½ lime, cut into wedges
  
  

• 2 tsp coarse sugar
  Muddle lime and sugar in a rocks glass. Add ice and cachaça. Stir until cold and cloudy.
  
  

A note: The Caipirinha dates back to early 20th-century Brazil—born in the countryside and quickly adopted everywhere from beach kiosks to backyard parties. Its simplicity is the point. No garnish, no twist, just the right ingredients and plenty of ice.

When we serve it: Beach parties, picnics, poolside afternoons—anywhere you can kick off your shoes and pour a second round.