STYLISH BAY AREA BAR  Bambuddha Lounge
601 Eddy Street, San Francisco, (415) 885-5088

http://www.bambuddhalounge.com

The hottest place for the young and the trendy to feast, flirt, or just be fabulous is this restaurant/bar adjoining the funky-cool Phoenix Hotel. With a 20-foot reclining Buddha on the roof, ultramodern San Francisco-meets-Southeast Asian decor (including waterfalls in the dining room and outdoor poolside cocktail lounge and salas, Balinese-style outdoor lounge areas by an outdoor pool), very affordable and above-average Southeast Asian cuisine served late into the evening and topping out at $22, and a state-of-the-art sound system streaming ambient, down-tempo, soul, funk, and house music, this is the "it" joint of the moment.

FEATURE Cachaça

Pronounced "KA SHA SA", Cachaça is made from sugar cane plant like rum. It is made from fresh sugarcane juice that's fermented and distilled. Cachaça is the national spirit of Brazil. It is also the key ingredient in Brazilian traditional cocktail, caipirinha.

Caipirinha
Pronounced 'KIE-PUR-REEN-YAH', this fresh, exotic cocktail is becoming as hot among international crowds as it is on Copacabana Beach. The traditional caipirinha blends Cachaça, sugar cane, lime juice and ice. Traditional Caipirinha is made with Cachaça, sugar, and crushed limes, served over ice. It is always muddled (crushed with a masher or the blunt end of a wooden spoon). Make sure to muddle in a shaker or a sturdy, non-breakable glass. You can also try replacing lime with about 1/2 cup of fresh tangerine, star fruit, passion fruit, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, orange, mango, grape, guava, figs, etc.