Name: Macunaíma
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 50 ml Cachaça; 20 ml Lemon juice; 15 ml Sugar syrup (2:1); 7.5 ml Fernet liqueur

Macunaíma
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Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 ²⁄₃ oz	Cachaça
²⁄₃ oz	Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
¹⁄₄ oz	Fernet Branca liqueur

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass (no ice).

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A cachaça sour given additional bittersweet herbal depth of flavour by a dash of fernet.

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History:

Pronounced 'Ma-cu-nayma', this is adapted from a recipe created in 2014 by Arnaldo Hirai at his Boca de Ouro bar in São Paulo, Brazil. According to Arnaldo, his recipe started to take shape in 2014 and was almost called Caxirola, after the rattle created by Carlinhos Brown to be the official musical instrument for the World Cup in Brazil later that year.

Many considered the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa, to be marred by the oppressively noisy Vuvuzela and the Caxirola was intended to be a quieter alternative. The instrument not only failed to catch on but was banned in football stadiums. Fortunately, rather than an unsuccessful Brazilian musical instrument, Arnaldo chose to name his cocktail after the 1928 novel by Brazilian writer Mário de Andrade, considered one of the founding texts of Brazilian modernism.

The Macunaíma quickly became the most popular cocktail at Arnaldo's Boca de Ouro bar, with 500 to 600 sold each month. The ingredients remained constant, but Arnaldo says that the proportions have evolved to make the cocktail less sweet. The recipe used at the bar:

50ml (1 2⁄3oz) Cachaça
20ml (2⁄3oz) Lime juice
20ml (2⁄3oz) Sugar syrup (1:1)
7ml (1⁄4) Fernet Branca

When I first translated this recipe from Portuguese, I mistook lime juice for lemon. But when corrected by a Brazilian friend, I retried this cocktail made with both citrus juices alongside each other and concluded that I much prefer the lemon. It's delicious with lime but even better with lemon. That said, I find limes in Brazil sweeter and more fragrant than those shipped to the UK, so my preference may differ if making this cocktail in Brazil.

I've also taken the liberty of swapping out 20ml of 1:1 sugar syrup for 15ml of 2:1 sugar. However, with 12.5ml of 2:1 sugar syrup and 2.5ml of 3:1 honey syrup, this cocktail is even more divine.

Nutrition:

One serving of Macunaíma contains 180 calories

Alcohol content:

1.2 standard drinks
18.22% alc./vol. (18.22° proof)
16.9 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 11 comments for Macunaíma.
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Simon Sedgley

13th January at 14:00

Where we are, Cachaca can sometimes be difficult to lay one's hands on. When that is so, we substitute 45ml Havana Club Original + 5ml Rhum JM for the 50ml Cachaca. Not the same drink, of course, but perhaps a similar vibe.

Caspian Berggren

15th June at 17:16

Cachaca and unaged Rhum Agricole are incredibly similar. As long as they have the same proof I think you can use them interchangeably.

Jeff Newcastle

23rd August 2024 at 17:35

How on earth have I missed this one? Just perfect following the recipe as published. It’s a shame it looks a little flat without ice or a garnish. (maybe I’ll pimp it up next time with something to make it look better🤔)

Alex Powell

4th November 2023 at 19:07

Goes gangbusters with clairin in lieu of cachaça. Funky fruity fun front leads to lingering lip-smacking complexity.

Avery Garnett

9th October 2023 at 19:41

Find a cachaca you love (for me, Velho Barreiro) and this drink is heaven. I disagree that the fernet overpowers in any way - even with 7.5ml each of fernet and cynar it's still only slightly bitter. I think my preferred way might be a barspoon of each though.

Stephan Gröhn

28th May 2023 at 20:53

Being a fan of Fernet, I have to admit that in this case, I’ve found that only a dash of Fernet and taking Cynar for the rest of it worked way better for my taste.

Joel Meierfeldt

3rd January 2023 at 20:51

Amazing drink, although it took me three sips to fully appreciate it. I used Ypióca Reserva, an aged, smokey Cachaça. The recipe says 'no garnish' but a dried lemon wheel may fit very well.

Raul Garcia

1st August 2024 at 23:30

Same here, I love Fernet, but took me a few sips to apareciste this drink. I used the same cachaça, but instead the lemon wheel I used a lemon zest

Ignacy Szczupal

11th November 2022 at 01:33

Excellent receipe ! I just found the glass too large without ice ! I have 29 cl old fashioned glass but the quantity of cocktail is comparable to a Pti’Punch…

Alexandre Perron

31st August 2022 at 20:22

This is exceptional !!!

John Hinojos

13th June 2022 at 00:24

This was perfect for an aperitif. Strong taste from the cachaca with the herbal hints from the Fernet Branca. Superb.

Fabio Andrade

29th November 2020 at 21:49

I was researching the Macunaíma and found a recipe asking for aged cachaça (on bálsamo wood), and then an interview that Arnaldo claimed to have created the cocktail with this kind of cachaça. I bought some and I think it improved the cocktail a bit, even though it is still enjoyable with white cachaça. It adds some spice so I can understand it being done with lemons and honey to add new layers. Some limes can be too tart, when it is sweeter 20ml works like heaven.