Caipiroska

The vodka sibling of Brazil's national cocktail—muddled lime and sugar with vodka creating a bracingly fresh, citrus-forward drink.

The Caipiroska is a Brazilian cocktail that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s as vodka became increasingly available and popular in South American markets. It is a direct variation of the Caipirinha, Brazil's national cocktail — itself a drink rooted in the rural São Paulo countryside since the early 20th century — with vodka substituted for cachaça, the native Brazilian sugarcane spirit. The name is a portmanteau of Caipirinha and vodka (sometimes spelled caipivodka or caipirodka depending on the region). Smirnoff played a notable role in popularizing the variation and even trademarked the Caipiroska name for commercial use in some markets, releasing pre-bottled versions in 2010. The drink spread from Brazil into neighboring Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay before gaining broader international visibility in the late 2000s as vodka diversified across South America. Compared to the original, the Caipiroska has a cleaner, more neutral spirit base that keeps the focus squarely on the lime and sugar — making it more approachable for drinkers unfamiliar with cachaça's distinctive grassy, funky character. Fruit variations are extremely common: strawberry, passion fruit, kiwi, and mango caipiroskas are staples at beach bars and casual restaurants across Brazil. The drink is typically built directly in the serving glass rather than shaken — lime wedges and sugar are muddled together first, then vodka and crushed ice are added and stirred to integrate. Like the Caipirinha, the quality of the lime and the freshness of the muddling make or break the final result.