Any guide that tells you what to do in Rio will include touristic sites like Christ the Redeemer and the Sugar Loaf, having a dip in the sea, and drinking a caipirinha, the outstanding cocktail from Brazil. The classic recipe includes a shot of good cachaça, a lime cut into wedges, sugar and a lot of ice. However, the creativity of bartenders combined with the large variety of fruits readily available, made it possible for the creation of many delicious variations on this iconic drink, which can also be ordered with a different alcoholic base. Vodka, sake, and even tequila are often used. So let’s raise our glasses to this list of places where you can have the best caipirinhas in Rio!
One of the most famous caipirinhas in the city is in the Kiosque do Português - which lives up to its name to say the least. Carlos runs the place, a very nice guy who opened this branch in Fashion Mall. He doesn’t let pulps and frozen fruit enter his establishment. There, the intake is fresh, bought on a daily basis and used abundantly – no watery drinks. The combinations are fantastic: raspberry and strawberry, cashew and lime, mango and ginger…Fancy a different one? Check the fruits available and experiment. If it’s the right season you might be lucky to get fruits like jabuticaba. The caipirinha made with cachaça goes for R$18.00. There are also creative options that are visually very pretty such as the bicolour caipi. However, if you choose to stick to the classic, believe it: you won’t be disappointed.
Here you can enjoy delicious caipirinhas with a stunning view of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. At the bar, created by Mário de Andrade Netto, “Crazy Mário”, the order can come with basic fruits like lime, strawberry, passion fruit, or with exotic fruit from the North and Northeast of the country, such as jaca (jackfruit), cupuaçu, or maracujá do mato (wild passion fruit). A big hit is the combination of grape with basil. Any of them cost R$22.00
The suggestive name makes it clear what you’re going to find on a large scale here: cachaça. And this distilled drink is very well used in the caipirinhas there. One of the big hits is the fruta do conde (count fruit) (R$18.50). But don’t hesitate to try any of the other special caipis. The “Acadêmia” has lemon, honey, and cachaça Seleta (R$17.90). The “Magnífica” has orange, ginger, and a cachaça that shares its name with the drink (R$19.50 - picture).
It’s not a bar, but actually one of the best all you can eat barbecue places in Rio de Janeiro (see the full list here). And among the world of meat served by the waiters, led by Índio, a dear character to the cariocas, save some room for the caipirinhas (R$24.90). Jean Ponce, a very talented bartender, trained the staff responsible for the drinks. Lychee, strawberry, cashew are some of the options, but don’t forget to ask about the drink of the season that’s always made with a cachaça base.
Vanessa Marzano runs the bar, which is an ode to cachaça, located in one of the most gastronomic roads in Rio, Barão de Iguatemi, in Praça da Bandeira – neighbour to Botto Bar, Aconchego Carioca, Bar da Frente, among others. There’s no lack of good liquor in Noo, one of the best cachaça houses in Rio. Caipirinha flavours such as pineapple, kiwi, tangerine, strawberry, passion fruit, lime, or a mix of these fruits, cost R$16.00. The lime caipirinha sweetened with melado (sugar cane syrup) costs R$18.000, a wonderful adaptation to the classic version.
