Christmas comes but once a year, even if it’s during the beginning of summer, as is the case in the Southern Hemisphere. Just for example, Rio de Janeiro hit 91 degrees last Dec. 25 – not exactly hot chocolate weather.
In Brazil, Sonhos (that’s Portuguese for “dreams”) are small, soft pastries that are a Christmas tradition. In OKC, Café do Brasil at 440 NW 11th uses the word for a specialty cocktail that’ll help to make your season bright, no matter the weather outside.
It’s basically a snazzy spin on a caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil that’s made with cachaça (a liquor made from sugar cane). This beverage uses top-shelf Leblon cachaça, muddled lime and blueberries coated in a vanilla sugar, for a drink that’s tangy up front with a sweeter aftertaste, very light and refreshing overall.
It feels right at home in the upstairs Bossa Nova Bar, a comfy, colorful space. And even if wintry weather precludes a visit to the rooftop patio, it still gets plenty of sunshine, pulses with music befitting its name and gives visitors access to certain elements of the menu from downstairs – the feijoada spring rolls, stuffed with their signature pork/rice/black bean stew, are legit.
So swing by the Midtown bar and have yourself a glass or two of merriment; instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in your head, you may well start having dreams of sugared blueberries.
