Brazilian Drinks: 7 Drinks you should try in Brazil

Brazilian Drinks

Famous Brazilian Drink Caipirinha is arguably one of the most famous Brazilian drinks and is considered as the national cocktail. Just like food dishes Brazil has many diversity and variety in drinks too, based on regional preference. There is an amazing variety of beverages that a foreigner can find in Brazil. Few of them are all natural, like tropical fruit juices, but few others are so original that they could only be invented by Brazilians.

The most common version of Caipirinha is essentially made with cachaça (hard sugarcane liquor), sugar, lime and ice, all mixed up in a glass. The drink is prepared by muddling the fruit and the sugar together, and adding the liquor. There are also several other flavors available, where different brazilian fruits substitute the lime: like for example cashew, red berries, mango, kiwifruit, passion fruit, pineapple, grapes, lychee and tangerine are just some of them, and also different alcoholic beverages can be used for liquor. Did you know that the largest cashew tree in the world is in brazil? Its amazing

Brazil typical Drinks

Cachaça – Also very commonly known as Caninha or Pinga, is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage and national liquor. Cachaça is a distilled drink made from the fermentation of fresh sugarcane juice, with high content of alcohol in it. As with most alcoholic beverage, there are many variations of Cachaça, and there are several cheaper versions available too. Cachaça can be served with squeezed lime and honey too.

Brazilian Drinks ( no alcoholic )

Cajuína – The Cajuína is a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated drink made from the cashew. It was created in the northeastern state of Piauí, where the fruit is found in plenty. The cashew juice is filtered, sterilized and clarified. This refreshing beverage is usually served cold.

Chimarrão and Tererê – These are predominantly the same drink, with one main exception: while Tererê is offered cold, Chimarrão is given hot. They are prepared in a similar way as Mate, a beverage consumed in other South American countries. It is made by infusing dried leaves and stems of the erva-mate plant in hot water and served in a typical gourd, named cuia which is usually rounded or egg-shaped, and has been hollowed out and dried.

Guaraná – The caipirinha might be Brazil’s national cocktail, but a carbonated, caffeinated quencher known as guarana soda is Brazil’s national drink. Guaraná is a soft drink made from the fruit having the same name found in the Amazon; this fruit is rich in energy and can also be used for the making of other fresh juices. The taste of the drink is mild, and slightly apple-like, with a berry after-flavor.

Coconut Water – If you ever go to a Brazilian beach, make sure you try some Coconut Water there. This drink is nothing else than the liquid inside green coconuts, that is rich in minerals and slightly sweet. It is a natural, refreshing way to hydrate and replenish and is very low in fat too. Many companies like Água de Coco, Pure Brazilian Coconut Water, CoCo, WaterHills etc sell processed coconut water in small drinking boxes, bottles and liter cartons too.   

Açaí Juice – The sweet thick purple juice made from the Açaí berry is a great energy provider but is very high in calories. Since quite some time now, the Açaí Juice is one of the most popular drinks on Brazilian beaches.

Caldo de Cana or Garapa – This is not a flavored drink but is actually a sweet drink that is made from sugarcane. It is basically the liquid that flows when the sugarcane is crushed in the machine. Serve with ice it has a very particular sweet taste, but is highly enjoyed by people in hot summer days and is also very cheap. People on diet should probably avoid it though.

Catuaba – Catuaba is a drink made from extracts of an indigenous herb found in the Amazon forest. It is visually similar to wine, but this peculiar beverage is a bit stronger. As a drink, catuaba is famously recognized as a wine-mixed drink with a very sweet, sugary taste, composed mainly of vinho tinto (red wine), a catuaba mixed and guaraná.  The catuaba’s charm lies mostly at its relatively low-cost and evidently aphrodisiac effects, making it very popular at parties and festivals.

However, there are few drinks in Brazil, which should be avoided if possible. Brazil is not so popular for the quality of its wines compared to Europe and American products. Most of the best wines consumed in the country are imported from more traditional markets, like neighbor country Argentina, which is famous wine region Mendoza.

Still, there are few better local wines, which are usually cheaper than their Southamerican and European counterparts. On the other hand, there are many cheap wines, even sold in large gallons, which should probably be avoided due to its low quality and impurities. Bombeirinho, a drink which is a mixture of lime, Cachaça, gooseberry syrup and ice. It could be a sweet drink; but it is mostly sold by street vendors and cheap bars, which is why it is not much recommended. Another cocktail called Rabo de Galo is a simple mixture of Cachaça and Vermouth. It is not so tasty and it is very strong. You should probably avoid it, unless you are looking for a headache.

If you know of some exotic brazilian drink or cocktail, please let me know in the comments