The Christmas Caipirinha – the perfect festive cocktail

December 3rd, 2008 by Caroline

Soooo, I’ve been thinking that I need to start thinking about planning my Christmas party. I can’t get through the cold and darkness without a series of soirees to look forward to. I do find the long nights and low temperatures a test of endurance, so I sometimes like to pretend I’m in a hot country with hot beaches and hot weather (and many other hot, hot things… calm down, Caroline!).

So, the party is looming, and I have the perfect Christmas cocktail to invoke the warm sand without ignoring Christmas. It’s the Christmas Caipirinha!

(It took me forever to get over the Cosmopolitan, thanks Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, and kept on ordering them long after they had gone out of fashion. But, alas, the time had to come and I have moved on.)

Anyway, my fave-du-jour is the Caipirinha. So, I’m serving a winter version for this year’s festivities.

For one serving, mix as follows. Or make in large batches, without the ice and store in the refrigerator, ready to serve guests as they arrive. Add the ice to each tumbler, when you pour the pre-made cocktail mix.

50ml Sagatiba Pura Cachaça
2 lime wedges
5ml Sugar syrup
2 Blackberries
3 Raspberries
3 Blueberries
A pinch of ground Allspice

Squeeze the lime wedges and drop into a tumbler
Add berries, sugar syrup and allspice. Mix and squish around.
Fill with ice cubes.
Add the Sagatiba Pura Cachaça.
Mix.

I will also be serving Champagne (of course!) and this year I decided that as I am invoking hot sand and sunkissed skin, I will be offering up Tsarine Brut Rosé NV Champagne.

It tastes of summer fruits and cream, and comes in a gorgeously stylish twisted-glass bottle.

Both Sagatiba Pura Cachaça and the Tsarine Brut Rosé NV Champagne are both available from your local Waitrose, but you can probably get them from other supermarkets or wine merchants if you don’t a branch close to you.