This Cranberry Caipirinha is a festive take on a Brazilian cocktail. Made with cranberries, lime, sugar and cachaça, it is the perfect cocktail to serve over the Christmas period. Get the recipe below.

Festive cocktails

Christmas is a time to eat drink and be merry. I know what makes me feel merry...Christmas cocktails!

A cocktail is immediately made Christmassy by the addition of cranberry. It's just a fact. So, for this Christmas cocktail I'm adding cranberry juice to the ingredients traditionally associated with a caipirinha for a fun and festive twist on a classic.

What is a caipirinha?

A caipirinha is an alcoholic drink that originates from São Paulo in Brazil.

It's made with cachaça, as well as sugar, lime, and ice.

You make the cocktail by mixing the lime and the sugar together, then adding the cachaça. It's then all poured over ice.

What is cachaça?

Cachaça is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented sugarcane.

You pronounce cachaça as "ka-SHAH-sa". It's also known as aguardente, caninha, and pinga.

It's quite a strong drink as it's usually between 38 and 54% ABV! So enjoy in moderation.

It has an interesting flavour profile. It's fruity, herbal and a little grassy.

Is cachaça vegan?

Like most hard liquors, cachaça is vegan!

For more information about which alcoholic drinks are and aren't vegan, check out my guide to vegan alcohol here.

Cranberry cocktails

The twist to this caipirinha is adding a splash of cranberry juice. Too much and you'll over power the taste of cachaça, not enough and you won't be able to taste the cranberry! It's a delicate balance.

I like to add some fresh cranberries as a garnish but I warn you, they're not the nicest to eat raw like that - they're much tastier when turned into a syrup or sauce.

The recipe