The best mocktail ever – espresso caipirinha

When I think of the word mocktail, I usually have the image of something full of sweet fruit juice and over-compensating garnishes. Not something I could happily swap for a full-fat drink. However, this espresso caipirinha mocktail really hits the spot.

Whether you’re driving, pregnant or on a detox, finding an alternative alco-free tipple can be hard. I did Dry July once. The next year I did Dry Feb because it’s a shorter month – but I’d forgotten it was a leap year. That extra day broke my heart.

Throughout those months, I tried to find something tasty to drink instead of the usual orange juice or other soft drinks you find in pubs, but none of them really did much for me. And for all the sugar in them, I might as well have had a beer!

And I’ve never really seen eye to eye with mocktails either. They all tend to be quite sweet and unsatisfying. But the other day we were given one of these: an espresso caipirinha mocktail.

Caipirinha (pronounced /kaypirinya/) is a Brazilian cocktail made with a sweet rum type liquor called cachaça (pronounced /kashassa/), lime and sugar. It’s a firm favourite in Brazil.

You might have also heard of the caprioska, which is similar to a caipirinha but made with vodka.

Well this drink has neither, but it’s still absolutely delicious.

Espresso Caipirinha Mocktail

Serves 1

Here’s what you need

? ½ lime – sliced into segments
? 3 spoons raw sugar
? 15ml sugar syrup (make your own with equal parts caster sugar and hot water)
? 50ml lemon juice
? 50ml espresso coffee – chilled
? Ice

Here’s what you do

1. Muddle the lime and sugar together in a highball glass.
2. Add ice then the sugar syrup and lemon juice.
3. Pour the coffee over the top to give the layered effect.
4. Garnish with a lime slice and a straw.

These mocktails took it a step even further, using the Nespresso decaffeinated coffee, the drinks were even more vice free.

Our tips:

We used Nespresso coffee pods to make these cocktails, which worked brilliantly. If you don’t have a Nespresso machine, you could use a stovetop or French press plunger coffee maker.

Alternatively you could use a coffee liqueur like Mr Black – yum!

You can make this a cocktail instead of a mocktail by adding a shot of booze in before you add the coffee. If you have cachaça, that’s great but it’s incredibly expensive in Australia. A good white rum would work ok or otherwise just use a good vodka.

What do you drink if you’re out and have to stay sober? Would you have the decaf mocktail version of this or go full throttle and take the caffeinated alcoholic version? Tell us in the comments!

Images courtesy of Nespresso.