I think it’s safe to say that we all agree yerba mate is great, but let’s face it… sometimes what you need is a drink. Since it’s World Cup time and we are all in the Brazil mood, I have decided to share with you a very special recipe of mate flavored Caipirinha.
For those of you who don’t know, Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil. It is traditionally prepared with green lemon, sugar, ice and cachaça (a Brazilian liquor made of sugar cane). Just like mate, Caipirinha is also a great excuse to get friends together for a grand o’ time. It is an extremely refreshing cocktail that really goes well in those hot summer days. So let’s just get right to it, shall we?
Ingredients
All units are metric. Sorry UK and US readers. Google is your friend.
- 500 ml of cachaça
- 50g of yerba mate
- 500ml of water
- 1kg of sugar
- 50ml of passion fruit juice (maracuja)
- 1/2 green lemon
Preparing the mate infusion
The first step is to prepare the mate-cachaça mix itself. We will do this by placing the yerba mate on a thin filter. I usually use a coffee filter for this. Now pour the cachaça into the filter and let it drip through the mate slowly. Preserve the mix when done.
Preparing the sugar syrup
Now that we have our mate infusion, we will need to prepare the sugar syrup for our caipi-mate. Boil 500ml of water and throw in the sugar. Stir slowly until the sugar is completely diluted. Place the syrup in a different recipient and let it cool down.
Now for the cocktail
Slice the half-lemon and place it inside your cocktail mixer together with the syrup and the passion fruit juice. Use a small wooden pestle to grind the ingredients gently until the lemon is out of juice.
Now add the mate-cachaça infusion together with a few ice cubes. Seal the mixer and shake vigorously until the entire beverage is icy cold. Serve immediately.