Cachaca 101

Sao Paulo bar/restaurant Universidade da Cachaca more than lives up to its name. With 420 different cachacas to choose from (more than 300 of them from Minas Gerais state, acknowledged by most Brazilians as the home of the finest examples of the drink), it can satisfy the most demanding of students. And for neophytes such as myself, the knowledgeable bar staff will happily design a program that takes you from the mildest to the strongest cachaca in four increasingly drunken steps. Passing this exam was a pleasure, although my memories of the graduation ceremony are a little hazy.