Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Tried Every Caipirinha Making Class in Rio So You Don't Have To
20
items Planning a Rio trip and want more than just sipping caipirinhas at a hotel bar? I spent three weeks bouncing between cocktail classes, market tours, and cachaca tastings across the city. This is everything worth booking, buying, and packing if you wa...
Sections
4
Hands-On Caipirinha Classes Worth Booking in Rio
Markets and Shops for Cachaca and Ingredients
Tools and Gear That Make Home Caipirinhas Actually Work
Rio Spots to Drink Caipirinhas After You Learn to Make Them
Hands-On Caipirinha Classes Worth Booking in Rio
I showed up to my first class not knowing the difference between cachaca and rum. By the third one, I was muddling limes like I'd been doing it for years. These are the ones that actually teach you something instead of just handing you a drink.
Sign up for this one first. The instructor breaks down why ice size matters, why most people over-muddle, and lets you make four variations. I went in thinking all caipirinhas taste the same. Left knowing I'd been doing it wrong for a decade.
Cook in Rio
Grab a spot if you want the full cultural hit, not just the drink. You learn to make caipirinhas, then they teach you basic samba steps while you drink what you made. Great for couples or anyone who gets bored standing at a counter.
The best Rio de Janeiro Samba dancing
Book this if you're traveling with a small group and don't want strangers around. The host comes to your rental, brings all the ingredients, and walks you through classic plus passion fruit and cashew versions. Worth every real.
Learn to make a Caipirinha in Vidigal (with Reviews)
Skip this if you only want a polished cooking school vibe. But if you want to learn from locals in Vidigal who've been making caipirinhas since before you knew what cachaca was, this is the real thing. Small groups, big flavors.
Vidigal Favela Tour with a drink - 2026 (Verified Reviews)
Try this before you take any class. They walk you through different cachaca styles so you understand what you're mixing with. I picked my favorite bottle here and used it in every class after. Changed how I thought about the whole drink.
Academia da Cachaça - Brazilian bar and restaurant in Rio.
Markets and Shops for Cachaca and Ingredients
Half the battle is knowing what to buy. I wandered through six different markets before figuring out which cachacas are worth bringing home and where to find the right limes. Save yourself the sunburn.
Get here early on a Saturday. The cachaca selection is ridiculous and vendors let you taste before buying. I found a small-batch aged cachaca from Minas Gerais that made my home caipirinhas taste completely different from anything I'd mixed before.
Market Hall | MVRDV
Walk in and tell them you're a beginner. No judgment. They'll line up five or six bottles and explain the difference between unaged and barrel-aged. I left with two bottles I never would have picked on my own.
Alambique do Zeca
Bring cash and an appetite. This massive Northeastern culture fair has cachaca vendors selling bottles you won't find in regular stores. Perfect for anyone who wants to bring home something nobody else at the dinner party will have.
Centro Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas
Use this as your everyday ingredient run. Fresh limes, raw sugar, and decent mid-range cachaca all in one stop. For anyone staying in an Airbnb who wants to practice at home between classes, this is where you stock up without overpaying.
South Zone of São Paulo
Swing by if you're serious about collecting bottles. They carry over 100 labels and the staff actually knows the producers. I asked for something smooth enough to sip straight and they handed me a bottle that completely shifted my understanding of th...
Armazéns do Chiado
Tools and Gear That Make Home Caipirinhas Actually Work
I came home from Rio fired up to make caipirinhas every weekend. Then I realized my kitchen had none of the right tools. These are the ones that actually replicate what I learned in class.
Ditch whatever wooden spoon you've been using. This thing has the right weight and grip to press oils out of the lime without turning the peel bitter. My caipirinhas went from harsh to smooth the day this showed up.
Steel Muddler
Pair this with your muddler and you'll feel like you're back in that Rio kitchen. Heavy enough to crack ice properly and the seal doesn't leak. For anyone who's been shaking drinks over the sink out of fear, this fixes that.
Harrison Heavyweight Cocktail Shaker
Keep a bottle of this at home for your baseline caipirinha. It's widely available outside Brazil and tastes clean without that harsh burn cheaper brands have. Great starting point if you can't find the artisan bottles from the markets.
Leblon Cachaça | Reviews
Toss these in your freezer the night before a party. Bigger ice melts slower, which means your caipirinha doesn't turn into lime water after five minutes. One of my Rio instructors specifically said bad ice ruins more drinks than bad technique.
Tovolo Sphere Ice Mold Set of 2 for Whiskey
Use this if you like your caipirinha without lime chunks floating around. Some purists will argue, but I started straining mine after a class in Lapa and never went back. Cleaner sip, same flavor.
Cocktail Kingdom® Koriko® Hawthorne Strainer
Rio Spots to Drink Caipirinhas After You Learn to Make Them
Once you know how the drink is supposed to taste, you start judging every bar differently. These are the places where I sat down, took one sip, and thought yeah, they know what they're doing.
Sit at the bar and watch the bartenders work. Their classic caipirinha uses a specific muddling technique I hadn't seen anywhere else. Order one, then order their passion fruit version. Both are textbook perfect.
Aster | Exclusive Rooftop Bar - InterContinental Sydney
Swing by any location after the beach. Nothing fancy, just a cold caipirinha made right, served fast, at a price that won't make you wince. This is where locals go, and after your class you'll taste exactly why they keep coming back.
Boteco Belmonte
Try the cashew caipirinha here. I'd never even considered using cashew fruit until a class instructor mentioned this spot. It's sweet, tart, and completely different from lime. Perfect for anyone who wants to expand beyond the classic.
Boteco Belmonte
Bring a friend who appreciates good drinks. Their cachaca menu is long and the bartender will talk you through regional differences if you ask. I tested what I learned in class by ordering specific styles and finally felt like I knew what I was talki...
Canastra Bar
Get there before sunset and grab a sidewalk table. Their caipirinha is straightforward, no gimmicks, just perfectly balanced. After spending a week learning ratios and techniques, drinking one here felt like a graduation ceremony.
Pavão Azul Bar