I am sorry if I am irritating those not from Brazil with my newfound passion for this great country, but believe me you will be grateful for the steer towards this book. The recipes offer a wake-up call to a jaded palate, and yet because they are very much modern rewrites of what might otherwise be considered a dauntingly traditional canon, they are instantly accessible. I realise that the actual recipe (for a cocktail) doesn't exactly illustrate this point, but I just couldn't resist. If you can't get hold of cachaça, use vodka, in which case the drink becomes a Caipiroska. Inspired by my stay in Brazil, I love to add passionfruit to this heavenly concoction, too.
Caipirinha From Cook Brazilian by Leticia Moreinos Schwartz.
Published by Kyle, 2010.
Photos by Ben Fink.
