Why This Works
The caipirinha muddles the whole lime — flesh, juice, and peel — and that's the entire secret. The peel's oils add an aromatic bitterness no amount of juice can replicate, which is why this drink tastes wilder than a daiquiri built from the same three elements.
Granulated sugar, not syrup, is traditional and functional: the sugar crystals act as an abrasive during muddling, scrubbing oils out of the peel. The drink is built and served in the same glass, sediment and all — its rustic character is the point.
The Alcohol-Free Swap
Traditional caipirinhas use cachaça, a sugarcane spirit — an alcohol-free rum is its closest AF cousin, with the same cane backbone.