Caipirinha

The perfect caipirinha has to be prepared in single doses. Forget making a large jar to serve lots of people at once. It never tastes as good. Yes, it takes time to prepare caipirinhas one by one, but it makes a really big difference. So here is the recipe for a single perfect dose.

Ingredients (for one)

• 1 lime (at room temperature)
  
• 2 dessert spoons sugar
• plenty of smallish (but not crushed) ice cubes
• good quality cachaça (sugar cane brandy)
  

1. Wash the lime in warm water and slice it
   
2. Squeeze the juice out of the bottom and top ends of the lime into a glass tumbler and discard those bits
3. Add the central slices of the lime to the glass and put the sugar on top
4. Mash the lime and sugar with a pestle (or a small wooden spoon)
5. Add enough ice to completely fill the glass
6. Pour the cachaça on top to fill in all the spaces left by the ice
7. Transfer this to a shaker, shake well, pour back into the glass and serve