Passion-Fruit Caipirinhas
Monday, May 23, 2005 23:00I’ve wanted to tackle a few of the cocktails in “Squeezed, Then Stirred,” since I received the June issue of Gourmet in the mail last week. My first picks were the Black-Currant Diablo and the Passion-Fruit Caiprinha. Both have 
somewhat elusive ingredients. I was able to find Looza, the Belgian line of bottled juices, in passion fruit but not black currant at Whole Foods in Glendale. I also visited a few liquor stores before tracking down a bottle of Brazilian cachaca — ultimately at a store called ‘Liquor Store,’ on Hillhurst, for $29.99 (!*%).
Passion-Fruit Caipirinha
Makes 1 Drink
1/4 fresh lime, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar
3 oz (6 tablespoons) pure passion-fruit juice
1.5 oz (3 tablespoons) cachaca
Add lime wedges and sugar to a short 8-ounce glass and mash by pounding and pressing with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Fill glass to the top with small cubes of ice and add passion-fruit juice and cachaca, then stir well. The passion-fruit juice is tangy and tropical, the fresh lime imbues a sparkling tartness, while the cachaca lingers in the background.
It’s better to make the drinks one at a time, I think. If you’ve ever had a lousy Caipirinha at a bar, you know what I mean. And if you’ve seen “City of God,” drinking one of these after a hot day at work, is like paddling around beside a moon-lit beach with Rocket, Benny and Angelique — back before things got crazy.
Jonah says:
May 24th, 2005 at 8:09 am
Mmmm, Caipirinhas. I had my first one last year in Costa Rica, sitting on a patio watching the sun dip into the Pacific. There is something so right about a liquor made from sugacane.
Kimberly says:
June 3rd, 2005 at 10:35 am
Would you mind posting the recipe for the Black-Currant Diablo as well. It was the recipe of the day on Epicurious, but changed before I could get it and now I can’t find it on their web site!
SoCalorie says:
June 3rd, 2005 at 11:18 am
A cocktail lover after my own heart. You got it. Should be up by tomorrow. Have you also seen the LATimes’ recent section on summery drinks? It was really well done but they’ve got a registration interrupt on it right now.
john koman says:
January 22nd, 2006 at 7:13 am
White Dove Farm in Ventura county sells huge purple passion fruit direct from the farm and they undercut the retail prices by more than half. They advertise wholesale prices.
MaxMillion says:
January 22nd, 2006 at 11:23 am
Fantastic! An old post about one of my most fave fruits has resurfaced! COOL!
I even have some cachaca languishing in my pantry, leftover from a wild July 4th party. What better excuse to get my guy to watch City of God with me (finally).
So, I checked the White Dove Farms site and am thinking of gritting my teeth and purchasing a dozen of those luscious purple babies. Yep, at over dollar apeice that certainly does beat Gelsons exorbitant $3 per wrinkly fruit.
But why? why? WHY? Why is passionfruit so expensive here in LA? It grows like a weed, is dead simple to harvest — what gives? In Sydney you’d probably get 10 for a dollar. (I miss Sydney *sigh*)
Yeah, I am growing some passionfruit now (after eventually locating the very best eating variety p. edulis, aka the frederick) but they do take a very long time to ripen on the vine… sparse winter sunshine is also a factor… But I have my beady little eyes on those six fruits. Better place an order with the farm.
Richard Frost says:
April 14th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Gee, it turns out that John Koman is the owner of White Dove Farms — no wonder he is so excited about it!
MaxMillion says:
April 15th, 2006 at 9:04 am
Hey — *I’M* excited! I love it when people post with tips like that, even if it is self-promoting.
It’s all good, babe.
MaxMillion says:
February 5th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Hey — my passionfruit vine has been producing dozens of fruit so I finally tried this recipe.
I jazzed it up with a bit of soda water and enjoyed a very nice cocktail. Thanks!
jaleen says:
October 8th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Where can I order a Frederick passion fruit plant????
MaxMillion says:
October 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Most nurseries or garden shops will order one for you.
Ask for “passiflora edulis”, cultivar “frederick” for great tasting, purple fruit.
NB — the green fruit will take up to three months to ripen on the vine!
When you see flowers, touch them to each other to cross pollinate.