The main spirit in a Caipirinha is cachaça, a Brazilian spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane juice.
Cachaça is closely related to rum, but the traditional raw material distinguishes it: cachaça is made from fresh sugarcane juice, whereas most rum is made from molasses, a sugar-refining by-product. That difference gives cachaça its own legal identity and often produces grassy, vegetal, fruity, or lightly funky flavors.
The spirit emerged in Brazil during the 16th century after Portuguese colonists expanded sugarcane production. Sugarcane cuttings arrived from Madeira around 1532, and distillation practices developed alongside the colonial sugar industry. Cachaça is typically bottled at about 38% to 48% alcohol by volume.
A Caipirinha combines cachaça with lime, sugar, and ice; substituting vodka creates a Caipiroska, while using rum produces a Caipirissima. Those variations explain why rum is sometimes mistakenly selected for the original drink. The cocktail is strongly associated with São Paulo, where historians generally place its creation in the early 20th century. In 2013, the United States formally recognized cachaça as a distinctive Brazilian product and as a type of rum.