Caipirinha Recipe

In Douglas Adams' 'The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy' there is a very interesting cocktail called the Pan-galactic Gargleblaster - the effect of which is like 'having your brain wrapped around a golden brick'. While I have yet to travel to the far reaches of space...let alone discover a two headed-egotistical president (Zaphod Beeblebrox) in a bar at the edge of the universe who would be willing to serve me one of these...I expect that 2 - 3 Caipirinhas (a very popular drink in Rio de Janeiro) might have much the same effect.

As it is something of a 'right of initiation' for all hapless tourists travelling Brazil to sample one of these 'golden bricks'....I decided to include the recipe for any of you who ever feel the need to obliterate a couple of thousand braincells in the space of a few minutes...so enjoy:

Caipirinha Ingredients:

- 1 lime quartered
- 3 table spoons sugar (or much more as I found out in Rio)
- 3 -4 shots of cachaca
- 1/2 Cup of ice cubes

(in Brazil they do not stick to any of these measurements and the average barman is very, very generous...so be careful)

Prepare:

Place lime and sugar in the bottom of a glass and using the handle of a wooden spoon, crush and mash the limes. Pour the liqueur and ice. Stir well.

Note on Cachaca (spelt with a Portuguese C I can't find on my keyboard) :

Cachaca is a Brazilian liquor made from distilled sugar cane juice. While rum is distilled from molasses, cachaca is distilled directly from the juice of the unrefined sugar cane. Prior to the distillation the juice ferments in a wood or copper container for three weeks, and is then boiled down three times to a concentrate. So you can only imagine how potent this stuff is...and yes, like rum, it is guaranteed to give you a headache.

Note on Effects of 3 - 5 of these Cocktails:

Extreme Verbosity followed by:
Amnesia
Unconsciousness
Waking up in Matchu Pitchu