Saúde! To excellence at the Olympics
Our desi Olympic fever seemed to be on the brink of a cold — until Sakshi Malik secured the bronze and P.V. Sindhu set the badminton court (and our fragile egos) on fire. The once humble Olympic Games have now reached an all new high, captivating and uniting people from places we haven’t even heard of.
You probably know of the infamous myth behind the origins of the Olympics. Zeus fought and defeated his father, Kronos, for control of the world. The valley of the battle was called Olympia — which soon became a hub for festivities honouring the strength of Zeus. This ultimately became the Olympic Games (or so they say).
But a lesser known tale in Greek mythology is the story of Dionysus. Not sure who that is? Well, picture a younger, bohemian version of Hugh Hefner along with a little bit of Charlie Sheen. That’s probably what Dionysus would look like today — along with immortality (as he was the result of Zeus’s scandalous affair with a mortal). It is said that he was the God of grape harvest, winemaking and ritual madness in general. An Olympic God of booze — a perfect reason to indulge in Brazilian alcoholic concoctions to celebrate our athletes creating history in Rio.
We recommend you begin this journey with a traditional Caipirinha — a Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaça, lime and crushed ice. Cachaça, a spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane juice, is Brazil’s national spirit. It plays like a light rum with a kiss of tequila.
Before you think of booking a flight to Rio — listen to this.
You can taste Brazil right here in Colaba. And even Andheri. Indigo Deli*, Salt Water Cafe* and Brewbot* are some of the many bars that mix up a simple Caipirinha wonderfully with Cachaça. Some bars even add their own twists — reinventing this drink every time. The Sassy Spoon* adds red wine to their ‘Berry Caipirinha’ muddled with lime, orange and mulberry. Lima* not only offers a ‘Kumquat and Basil Caipirinha’, but also a fresh ‘Passion fruit and Litchi Caipirinha’ — a vibrant cocktail you do not want to miss out on.
Replace Cachaça in a Caipirinha with Vodka — and you have a Caipiroska! It’s even better than a Mojito. Please Don’t Tell* makes ‘Inscrutably Russian’, a crazy concoction with kaffir lime. You can even replace the Cachaça with Sake and you have a Caipisake. Worth a try?
We think so. Whatever be your choice of poison, join us in raising a toast to all our athletes representing India at Rio 2016.
The Olympics are meant to promote excellence, not competition.
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*Bars and Restaurants in Mumbai, India.
A special shout out to Gabriella for allowing us to use her image above; we absolutely love her blog.
