You wouldn’t have thought it, but it’s officially British summer time.

The lack of beautiful weather over the past few days has got us to looking forwarding a little and hoping the weather turns so we can get stuck into the delicious beverages that should be on the menu over the impending summer months.

Whilst the long term forecast remains mixed – not that anybody trusts the weatherman these days – those periods where Britain basks in sunshine will undoubtedly see an influx of people heading to pick up drinks; summer is big business.

And then you combine that with the Olympics which is sure to attract the national conscience for a couple of weeks – at minimum.

The veritable plethora of athletics taking place in Brazil this summer will undoubtedly see large portions of the population clamouring for that little slice of the Copa Cabana beach transposed to the United Kingdom. Even more so if Team GB can rustle up some medals!

Samba influences, we expect, will be very popular and as such this gives bars, clubs and restaurants the opportunity to spice up their menu and bring new ranges to tempt in customers and, of course, increase profit levels. Very much as it did during the World Cup almost 2 years ago.

One drink that should be at the heart of your summer offering is the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail.

A photo posted by katwest4 (@katwest4) on Jun 10, 2013 at 12:36pm PDT

The beverage is easy to replicate, though it could require some additional purchases if you don’t already stock Cachaça.

The good news is that Cachaça is readily available and a number of varieties can be purchased – but given its similarities to rum, a sweet white rum could be utilised, though this obviously will not produce a traditional Caipirihna. Alternatively, vodka can be used as a substitute, with the result being known as a Caipiroska.

Caiprihna can also refer to any combination of fruit and Cachaça, opening up a number of possibilities to promote in season fruit and local variants. Its versatility means for those within the business that if marketed right, it could turn out to be a long term money spinner.

For our version we are using lime, however any other fruit could be used.

The drink should be served in an old-fashioned/lowball tumbler

Ingredients

• 1 Lime, cut into quarters – or alternative fruit.
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 5cl/50ml Cachaça
• Crushed ice

Method

• Place the lime and sugar in the glass
• Mash the ingredients together
• Fill with crushed ice
• Pour over the Cachaça