To experience a Brazilian summer, you need only savor cachaça in December. Second only to beer, cachaça (aka caxaca, caxa or chacha) is one of the most popular drinks in Brazil. Unlike rum, which is distilled from molasses, cachaça is a base spirit distilled directly from the juice of sugar cane, retaining the flavor of rum while exuding the smoldering scent of sugar cane juice. With only three ingredients, Special Cachaça is as straightforward as the Caipirinha, and 82-proof effective. Mix to serve in the back patio of your Ocean Beach home, toss in Caetano Veloso’s Noites do Norte and start strutting in the true spirit of Brazil.

Ingredients

2.0 fl. oz. of cachaça

2.0 fl. oz. of Punt e Mes

2/3 fl. oz. of Grand Marnier

Directions

1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake.

2. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

3. Garnish with a slice of orange, mango or pineapple.

4. Enjoy with samba.