Imaging Brazil 067: Caipirinha in Salvador, BA (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

067. Caipirinha

JULY 2006: Caipirinha

Students and beach. Surely a combination of much alcohol and little time for sunbathing. They select a beach barrack, occupy some plastic tables, and quickly gather a number of chairs. The waiter hurries over the loose sand to the new customers, and only minutes later, he returns with some bottles of ice-cold beer and small beer glasses. Beer is then distributed in the glasses. The students then cheer by hitting the glasses against each other, and to the beer bottle. And each one takes a gulp. Nobody dares not to drink before putting the glass on the table. That may bring misfortune. Many bottles would be emptied until a beer crate was filled completely with emptied beer bottles. Students not only drank beer, they also ordered caipirinhas. This Brazilian national drink made from cachaça (sugar cane-based spirit), fresh lime (what they call here ‘limão Tahiti’) and fragmented ice. Caipivodka is a variant with vodka instead of cachaça. Normally, this alcoholic mix is served in a whiskey glass, but here on the beach Itapuã a normal lemonade glass was used. A refreshing drink for only one euro fifty!

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014