Ingredients
- 1½ ozcachaca
- ¾ ozlime juice
- ¾ ozsimple syrup
- ¼ ozfernet branca
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously for 12-15 seconds until well chilled.
- Double-strain into a rocks glass without ice.
- Serve immediately with no garnish, as the original recipe specifies.
📜 History
The Macunaíma was created in 2014 by bartender Arnaldo Hirai at his Boca de Ouro bar in São Paulo, Brazil. Hirai developed the drink to capture the spirit of Brazil during that year's FIFA World Cup. He named it after the beloved 1928 novel by Mário de Andrade, considered one of the founding texts of Brazilian modernism. The recipe — a tight four-ingredient shaken sour built around cachaça, lime, sugar syrup, and a measured pour of Fernet-Branca — spread rapidly across the country. By Hirai's own account, a combination of its simplicity and the fact that almost every Brazilian bar stocks cachaça, lime, and a dusty bottle of Fernet made it instantly replicable. Within years it had become a national favorite and is now considered a modern Brazilian classic.