Caipirinha class on Friday

I love Brasilians. Should I say anything else? I don't think so.

Today at 8pm they organized the funniest class ever attended since I came to NY: Caipirinha class! Main topic of the Session: "How to prepare real Brasilian Caipirinha".

I thought I would have been more difficult..while it's really basic! The critical point is related to the ingredients' choice: lime, sugar, ice, strawberry (optional) and....Cachaça! Everton offered his place, Dan offered his ability to prepare caipirinha and Gabriel offered his talent in taking picture and a brief lecture on Cachaça.

Cachaça is a liquor made from fermented sugarcane. It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. It is also known as aguardente (aguardiente), pinga, caninha or other names. Cachaça is mostly produced in Brazil, where, according to 2007 figures, 1.5 billion liters (390 million gallons) are consumed annually, compared with 15 million liters (4.0 million gallons) outside the country.

Cachaça is, "...the product of the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice, with its alcohol strength anywhere from 38% to 80% by volume. When it is homemade it can be as strong as the distiller wants. Up to six grams per liter of sugar may be added." Cachaça differs from rum in that most rum is made from molasses. Use of molasses allows for the use of the byproduct of sugar production and a smaller still but has the taste affected by heating. Cachaca can be classified as a "rhum agricole" which is rum produced directly from cane juice.

I addition (It was clear to others, but not to me),I realized that when caipirinha is made with Vodka instead of Cachaça, it's called Caipiroska. It's a neverending story what you can learn @MBA! The cherry on the desset (does it make sense for American? I don't know...) was my learning team, almost all present at this great class: guys, we are definitely making the MBA a great experience! :-)