Drinks of Brazil - Cachaca

Ah, Brazil. The first things that pop to mind, when the word Brazil is mentioned, are the colorful costumes and the smells of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil under two centuries of Portuguese rule. The Rio Carnaval is a cultural offshoot of Portuguese festivals. While the Portugal is noted for its wines, Brazil is noted for Cachaça.

Cachaça is the national alcoholic beverage of Brazil. It is made from sugarcane juice, as is some rum. It is fermented and distilled and aged in wooden barrels. In Brazil, the Cachaça is made by small artisan manufacturers, that might compare to microbrewers of beer in the United States, and medium size commercial operations. It is said that the artisan product is a higher quality. It is interesting to note that Cachaça was discovered by Portuguese settlers. They found that sugarcane juice would ferment, if left standing. Someone got the idea to distill it and voila! It was originally the "poor man's" drink, but has been elevated to "national treasure" and enjoyed by the wealthy and tourists a plenty.

Cachaça is one of the ingredients in Brazil's national cocktail, the Caipirinha. It is a relatively simple drink made with cachaça, sugar, and lime. Place ½ lime cut into wedges and 2 tsp ultra fine sugar in the bottom of an old fashioned glass and muddle (mash together, a wooden spoon works, if you don't have a muddler). Do not remove the "mash." Pour1⅔ oz cachaça over the ice. If you don't have lime, other fruit can be substituted and if you don't have the cachaça, use vodka (Caipiroska) or rum (Caipirissima). You should have no trouble ordering one of these, since it is an official International Bartender's Association cocktail in the Fancy category.

Another Brazilian cocktail containing cachaça is the Batida. It is made with cachaça, fruit juice (usually passion fruit) or coconut milk (sweet condensed milk or sour cream may be used as variations) and sugar. Again, a relatively simple drink with cachaça at the foreground and fruit in the mix. The word batida in Portugues means shaken. It can be blended or shaken with ice and is usually served in a tall glass. If you order this cocktail outside of Brazil, vodka may be substituted for cachaça.

Rabo-de-galo (Tail Of The Rooster) is another intoxicating Brazilian drink made from-cachaça, of course, and red vermouth (usually 2/3 to 1/3 ratio). There seem to be no set proportions for the ingredients in rabo-de-galo. It's a bartender's best guess. This drink is sually served in a large shot glass. São Paulo is a variation on the Rabo-de-galo where cynar (an Italian bitter) is substituted for the vermouth. Not this author's favorite.

When in Brazil, do as the Brazilians do and order up a Caipirinha. I'm off to explore another country's offerings. Maybe Greece...I hear the ouzo calling my name. Fortuna boa.