Kate's Global Kitchen: Carnaval Cocktail from Brazil

Carnaval Cocktail from Brazil

Kate,

I am a college student in Virginia, who is doing a project on the Brazilian holiday "carnaval." I am looking for recipes for the foods that are served during this holiday if you can help. It would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

JRankin250@[email-address-removed]

Dear JRankin,

We've got a whole section on Brazilian food including recipes. Also check out our Mardi Gras page. Be sure to serve caipirinha—a tart, tangy cocktail—and you'll certainly get an A+!

This recipe for caipirinha comes from Joan & Peter Davidson's book Eat Smart in Brazil. The Petersons specialize in tasty tours of countries and their Eat Smart series is exactly that: smart! I recommend their books, filled with backgrounds and recipes, to anyone with a passion for world cuisines and cultures.

Caipirinha

Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil and its name means "little peasant girl." It is a cocktail made from crushed sugar and cachaca, the fiery Brazilian brandy made from sugar cane and traditionally contains chunks of tart, green Brazilian lemon, a fruit more like our lime. It is enormously popular.

1 lime, quartered
1-2 tablespoons sugar
2 ounces cachaca *
ice cubes

Mash the lime quarters in a cocktail glass with a wooden pestle. Do not remove the pieces of crushed lime. Add the sugar and cachaca. Fill the glass with ice cubes and stir well.

* Cachaca is available in the United States in metropolitan liquor stores and in some Brazilian specialty food stores, like New York's .

Caipirinha recipe from
Eat Smart in Brazil
How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure
Reprinted by permission.

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