Batida

The Brazilian drinks menu, just like its food counterpart, can hold some surprises (and the odd chuckle) for people new to Brazil. Today I thought I’d take a quick look at a few of the things that might not be immediately obvious to newcomers.

Hi-Fi

The Hi-Fi is one of  the first items listed under the heading Coquetéis (Cocktails) on many drinks menus. When I first asked about this I was told it was a vodka and orange. “Isn’t that called a screwdriver?” I asked. Well in my opinion the answer is basically “yes, it’s the same drink”,  though cocktail purists will tell you that a Screwdriver is made with real orange juice, whereas a Hi-Fi is made with ‘orange drink‘.

Vodka + orange = Hi-Fi = Screwdriver

Blood Mary

Staying in the cocktail section, most menus list the classic vodka, tomato and Worcestershire sauce cocktail as “Blood Mary” (instead of Bloody Mary). At first I wondered what had happened to the “y”, but then I heard a Brazilian say “Blood Mary” out loud – it sounds like Bludgee Mary. No need for the “y”! In fact the letters K, W and Y aren’t used in real Portuguese and were only added to the official alphabet in 2009 in order to be used in foreign words.

Gim Tônica

You don’t get much more English than a good Gin and Tonic do you? And Brazil’s climate is perfectly suited for this most refreshing drink! Here in Brazil however you will usually see it written as “Gim Tônica”. Again, the rules of Portuguese language are behind this spelling.

All Portuguese words that end with an “m” in the singular, are terminated with “ns” in the plural. For example, the Portuguese word for ‘Tone’ or ‘Shade’ is Tom, but in plural this becomes Tons. I only know of two words in the Portuguese language that end with with the letter ‘n’ (one is related to flowers, the other more, erm, animal based).

Batida

I’ll finish with one of my favourites – Batida (sounds like ‘ba-CHEE-da). A batida is a mix of cachaça (or sometimes vodka), fruit juice, and condensed milk. The world batida is the past participle of the verb bater (to beat) and that’s pretty much what you do with the ingredients – put them in a food processor and blend until smooth.

We got these particularly fancy batidas when we were up in Salvador, Bahia. They were thickened with coconut which allowed them to be layered like this. The restaurant was called Paraíso Tropical and it was amazing – if you’re ever in Salvador, look it up.

From the fancy, to the more down to earth. Some of my favourite pé sujos in Rio keep a bottle of home-made batida de gengibre (ginger) behind the bar. This stuff is quite fiery in that way that ginger can be, so it is served in shot glasses to be sipped. It makes a great counterpoint to the light (almost tasteless) beers that are served in these bars. Especially good after work on a Friday night! Cheers!

If you’re not a fan of ginger then this drink ain’t for you…