A Forward-thinking Afterthought

As I was busy thinking about British food, I forgot drinks entirely!

Two weekends ago now, I was in Seattle with a group of friends, and I said: "Oh, I can't drink a mojito. That was so 4 years ago!" My friends just balked at the idea of a drink going in and out of fashion, but they do, just like food. Remember when people put sun dried tomatoes in everything?! Well, so then they said that the mojito couldn't be four years ago, some of them there had only heard about it last year. I avoided (then) making comments about how Seattle isn't exactly the center of fame and fashion in the US (fine, yes, it had its moment back in the early 90s with the whole grunge thing, but that really ended when Kurt Cobain put a sawed-off shotgun to his head). In any case, mojitos were popular when I was in France studying abroad--and that, my friends, was four years ago (god I'm old).

But now, I am in the center of all things hip and cool, and thought I'd give all you Americans a heads up on the next 'in' drink. Yes, Brazil is the next Cuba; they've given us Rio, Renaldo, the girl from Ipanema, Brazilian meat skewer restaurants, and my personal favorite, capoeira. Next in line: the caipirinha.

It's a sweet and sour drink made with muddle lime, a dash of cane sugar, lots of ice, and filled with cachaça. What's cachaça you ask? It is a Brazilian liquor made from sugarcane juice.

So, all you Seattle folk, when I see you in four years in Seattle, and you're drinking a caipirinha, and I say "that was so five years ago" (I've been living in China remember, I'm assuming they've been quite the rage for a while here), you can't say I didn't warn ya!