Cuia de Pajé – Brazilian Viagra
If I were to say that today’s post is about a Brazilian cocktail, I imagine that the first drink on most people’s minds would be the caipirinha. But having just looked back through the Eat Rio archives, I realise I’ve already said rather a lot about Brazil’s most famous cocktail, with posts ranging from how to make one and 5 things you should know about them, to what I consider to be The Ultimate Caipirinha.
So today I’m going to tell you about a very different cocktail that may give you a little more than you bargained for! I first discovered this drink at a nice restaurant in Santa Teresa called Espírito Santa [no longer with us]. The cocktail is called Cuia de Pajé (sounds like “KWEE-ya de paz-EH”) and it’s pretty spectacular!
Order this drink and then watch the jealous glances from the other tables!
OK, first things first – that’s a pretty unusual drinking vessel isn’t it? The drink is served in a Cuia, a traditional indigenous drinking gourd which is decorated with a rather fetching pattern. OK, the next question has to be about that golden powder floating on the surface – what’s that all about?
The golden powder is guaraná em pó (sounds like “gwah-ra-NAH ain poh”) – a powder made by grinding up the seeds of the guaraná plant. There are many more claimed effects for guaraná than there are claims supported by scientific evidence, but being very high in caffeine (twice as much as coffee) it is has been shown to be a great stimulant, significantly improving memory and alertness.
Guaraná fruit. The name comes from a Tupi-Guarani phrase meaning “fruit like the eyes of the people”.
Also on the list of ingredients is catuaba (sounds like catoo-AH-ba), an infusion of bark used in traditional Brazilian medicine as a stimulant and aphrodisiac.
Again it seems that firm scientific evidence for the efficacy of catuaba is pretty thin on the ground, but there are plenty of claims from venerable ‘institutions’ with names like The Global Healing Center…
Mirantã (Acantthes virilis).
Next up we have mirantã, a root traditionally used by indigenous Amazonian tribes as an aphrodisiac. Mirantã is said to be an excellent vasodilator, widening blood vessels to increase blood flow to the, ahem, extremities…
Nó de cachorro – gnarly.
Moving swiftly on, our cocktail also contains extract of ginseng and something called nó de cachorro which translates as “dog knot”. Nó de cachorro comes from a plant found in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. According to scientists (who seem determined to investigate purported aphrodisiacs with the most boring experiments they can devise), this stuff improves memory and strengthens tendons in old rats. Still, its Latin name is Heteropterys aphrodisiaca…
So far this sounds more like some kind of weird herbal tincture than a tasty cocktail doesn’t it? Well fear not, because as well as all those sexy roots and spices, this drink is finished off with a delicious combination of aged cachaça, cupuaçu juice and plenty of ice.
So they call it the Brazilian Viagra – but does it work? Well, speaking as a virile(ish) young(ish) man, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but what I can tell you is that this is one seriously delicious drink that packs a punch and left me feeling energised. And maybe I’m just easily pleased, but I enjoy drinking out of a crazy drinking gourd! As far as I know, this sexy concoction is only sold at Espírito Santa, so if you happen to be in the area, why not stop in and give it a try?
Like a “garrafada” drink! :-D
Actually, garrafada would be a very cool theme for one of your next posts! hehehe
Hi Mauricio – apologies for not replying to your comment back when you made it! Normally I reply to everything, but somehow I missed all the comments on this post – foi mal! :(
I don’t know anything about these garrafadas – time to do some research :D
Hi Tom.
No problem. :-)
I once saw a guy selling lots of them in Centro. The cool thing is that they have one for each type of issue one may have… being it a sexual issue or not. :-D
It’s probably a bit edgy to try any of those, though. ;-)
Tom,
lá na Amazônia- Pará, o viagra natural tem 13 ervas.
E eu acho que você não conseguiria dormir por 13 noites! rs
Como você é jovem, viril, e tem um coração forte, seria um desafio interessante experimentar com sua esposa!
A feira mais tradicional, onde se vende ervas, cheiros e garrafadas, é a feira do Ver- o Peso.
As garrafadas servem para “tudo” o que você possa imaginar, e os nomes são um tanto exóticos, divertidos e auto- explicativos:
– garrafada chora aos meus pés,
– garrafada pega e não me larga,
– garrafada chega-te a mim;
– garrafada chama freguês
– garrafada para descarrego,
– garrafada amansa marido/namorado.
Essa última garrafada para domar marido/namorado é praticamente desnecessária, porque as mulheres daquele estado costumam ser naturalmente persuasivas e hipnotizantes! rs
Ha ha ha! Que engraçado e interessante também Rose! Muito obrigado pela informação :D Vou ver o que eu posso descobrir, mas talvez não vou escrever tudo sobre isso! rs rs ;)
I had a sip of this with you guys ! Really good but I can’t say anything about the ”properties.” Great restaurant though.
And yes, that nó de cachorro even looks like a pile of old, dead rats or mice. Classy.
What?! I thought that was you touching my knee under the table!! ;)
Also, are you saying that piles of dead rats don’t make you feel sexy?!
“So far this sounds more like some kind of weird herbal tincture than a tasty cocktail doesn’t it? Well fear not, because as well as all those sexy roots and spices, this drink is finished off with a delicious combination of aged cachaça, cupuaçu juice and plenty of ice.”
Is it just me or does it sound like this drink was initially created with only aged cachaça, cupuaçu juice and ice. Someone then remarked “why not throw in some bark and shrub so to say it contains other benefits – plus increase appeal among hippie chicks”. The icing on the cake came about by adding a touch of mysticism to the mix by using a generic term designating native healers (whose practices often not conform to Western medicine) and using said term to brand the drink. I would improve upon the concept and include a more contemporary pajé glass as a drinking vessel: http://www.thegreenhead.com/imgs/home/half-liter-pirate-skull-drinking-glass.jpg .
BTW any ideas for an original Eat Rio cocktail? Perhaps a recipe calling for vermouth, marmite, habanero pepper, and a touch of rosemary from the herb garden.
Woah! Cool glass man! :) Current cocktail of choice in the Eat Rio household is Pimm’s – it doesn’t get more English than that!