One of the simplest conjectures relies on the relative scarcity of cachaça outside of Brazil. Brazilian expatriates or travelers abroad might not have been able to satisfactorily recreate the taste of the drink with rum, but succeeded in creating something new and pleasing by using vodka. Vodka is widely available around the world.

Another possibility is that the drink was pioneered by the Brazilian elite who, with access to finer and often imported liquors, may have wanted a new twist on what may have been regarded as a “low-class” drink. In Brazilian Portuguese, the word caipirinha is essentially a diminutive of the word “hillbilly.” Whether these mixed drinks were ever exclusively associated with lower rungs of society is unknown. Modern times have seen widespread acceptance of both the original drink and its vodka equivalent.

The vodka variation is so popular throughout South America that several vodka manufacturers in that region distribute pre-mixed caipiroska beverages. Lime is, of course, the most traditional flavor, but commercial varieties often extend to other fruits as well. Strawberry, passion fruit, and mango are among the most common. Technically speaking, a caipiroska made with anything other than lime is more properly called a caipifrutta, though flavored caipiroska and caipirinha drinks are often simply identified by their dominant fruit.