Drink Of The Week: Passion Fruit Caipiroska

Thinkstock

• What You Need To Know
• Men need not fear ordering the Caipiroska, despite its fruity touch.
• The Caipiroska is a variation on the Caipirinha.
• Try the Caipiroska with vodka or rum.

"Let’s face it: You wouldn’t catch Bond uttering the words “passion fruit” to the bartender."

A little history with your buzz...

The Caipiroska is a variation on the Caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaca, Brazil’s potent sugarcane liquor. In the case of the Caipiroska, the cachaca is replaced with vodka. The Caipiroska has gotten increasingly popular in Brazil as imported vodka has become more and more common; it’s also a convenient variation for North Americans, where cachaca isn’t available much outside of major cities. Another reason why the Caipiroska might be gaining in popularity is that it has a more neutral flavor than a Caipirinha -- cachaca has a particular potency that takes a bit of getting used to. You might have to give your bartender a step-by-step recipe for this one if you’re ordering it outside of a major city.

Adding fruit to a Caipirinha is common throughout Brazil, so it’s only natural to do it with a Caipiroska as well. Passion fruit (called maracuja in Portuguese) is a commonly found fruit in Brazil; passion fruit juice is as popular as orange juice is in North America.

Hair-on-your-chest factor: 49/100

Let’s face it: You wouldn’t catch Bond uttering the words “passion fruit” to the bartender. But this is a drink that your date will love, and if you’re confident enough to order it for yourself and  fond of that pulpy tropical-fruit flavor, go for it. Of course, there’s nothing inherently emasculating about a Caipiroska. It’s the fruit juice that is the enemy of virility. A Caipiroska is a great drink in its own right and is an order that any man should be proud to shout across a crowded bar.

Passion Fruit Caipiroska

Ingredients:
2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. rum (optional -- many bartenders in Brazil use only vodka)
Half a lime
Pulp of one passion fruit
Passion fruit juice

Instructions:
Scrape out the inside of a passion fruit into a shaker. Add vodka and rum. Fill the shaker with ice and shake till you have foam. Strain (not too carefully --  keep some of the passion fruit seeds) into a tall ice-filled glass. Garnish with lime or with the scraped-out shell of the passion fruit.

Looking for the perfect martini? Simon Majumdar's on the case. Join his worldwide search on Foodspotting.