Gourmet

Now considered the national drink of Brazil, the Caipirinha was not always so respectable. In fact, the name comes from a somewhat derogatory word roughly equivalent to "hillbilly." The cocktail's main ingredient, cachaça, is an aguardiente that, like rum, is made from sugarcane. But cachaça has a bite and flavor more characteristic of a rough-edged tequila than of its more refined cousin. In fact, bartenders who run out of cachaça have been known to substitute equal parts white rum and white tequila in its place.A Caipirinha is usually made by muddling pieces of lime with sugar; we chose, for simplicity's sake, to juice the limes instead. For a more authentic flavor, you can mash a piece of lime rind in the bottom of the glass before serving.

Horchata is a refreshing iced drink served in Mexico. It is made with almonds, raw rice, or melon seeds.

(Rum, Lime, Mint and Basil Cocktail)Garnishes: fresh mint and basil sprigs and lime slices

(RICE WINE AND GINGER ALE COCKTAILS)

We thought we would update the popular Cosmopolitan by substituting Champagne for the usual lemon vodka. We garnished the drinks with skewers of sugar-coated fresh cranberries (thawed frozen ones will work just fine, too).

We recommend using a good-quality California or Spanish sparkling wine for this recipe. Both are widely available and less expensive than champagne.
You may want to garnish these drinks with fresh elderberry flowers; if so, make sure the blossoms you buy are unsprayed (nontoxic).

(Iced Coffee with Vanilla Ice Cream)