Brazil's Sexy Cocktail

Just pronouncing Brazil’s most famous drink can be daunting (Kai-pee-reen-Yah), but I guarantee that it is well worth the linguistic effort.  I am currently at a glitzy two-floor penthouse on Copacabana with a group of foodies, all of whom are clients of Wine-Knows.  Our week here is coming to a close, and you can rest assured that the ten of us have made a major dent in "Caipirinhas" over the last seven days.

The Caipirinha cocktail is a distant cousin of Mexico’s margarita, but the Brazilian rendition is made with the country’s flavorful sugar cane "rum."  (Sugar cane was brought in the mid-16^th century from Madeira to Brazil by Portuguese immigrants, and is this rum is now the most popular distilled spirit in Brazil).  If you think Caipirinha is hard to pronounce wait until you try to say the name of the rum: Cachaça (Ka-SHAH-suh).

A huge amount of Cachaça is consumed in Brazil in the form of Caipirinhas.  These perfect girl-from-Impanema drinks are made from muddled lime, superfine sugar (which dissolves completely), and Cachaça.   This yummy elixir ironically began in the early 1900’s as a medicinal cure for the flu.  Today it is still used in Brazil as a home remedy for the common cold. 

Cachaça is available at most liquor stores in the US, including BevMo.  There is no substitution for Cachaça, so if you can't find it move on to something else.  Here’s a recipe to begin.  Like most recipes, however, you can tweak it to adjust to your taste.  A word of caution:  remember that Cachaça is high octane…a little goes a long way.

Ingredients:

• ½ of a juicy lime, cut into small piece
• 1 teaspoon of super fine sugar (don’t even think of using regular granulated                       sugar as it will not dissolve)
• 2 oz of Cachaça

Directions:  Put lime and sugar in a hard-bottomed rocks glass.  Smash them with a wooden spoon to release as much juice as possible, as well as the flavors from the rind.  Add ice and Cachaça, stir and serve.

Caipirinha is hard to pronounce, but easy to make and fun to drink.  Move over Margaritas and Mojitos.

Viva Rio!

Pisco Sour

                                                         Chile's beloved aperitif

I am with a group of Wine-Knows touring the vineyards of Chile.  There’s only so much wine one can drink.  Besides, who could ever pass up another of Chile’s super-stars, its Pisco Sour?  Made from a type of grape brandy, this stunning aperitif has it all going-on!

The Pisco alcohol actually originated in Peru, but is now made today by both countries.   Spanish settlers in Peru in the 16^th century began distilling the left-over grape must into a high-octane alcohol to mimic their native country’s brandy.  Soon its neighbor Chile began producing the spirit.  While Peru currently out produces Chile 3:1, Chile has much more stringent production rules for its Pisco.  In fact, Chile’s Pisco has its own D.O. zones---Pisco can only be produced from grapes grown in these two specific geographical areas of Chile.  Moreover, there are many Chilean laws to ensure quality.

There are many cocktails made from Pisco but my favorite by far is the Pisco Sour.  Think a type of blended margarita where Pisco replaces Tequila.   Another difference is the addition of an egg white (which thickens the texture but doesn’t have much influence on the taste).  The Peruvian version has the addition of bitters, however, the Chileans leave out this component. 

Need a recipe?  Check it out:  http://wineknowstravel.blogspot.com/search?q=pisco

The good news is that you don’t have to go to South America to enjoy a Pisco Sour.  It is becoming more and more popular and is available in many liquor stores (BevMo carries it). 

Viva Chile!