A Wonderful Meeting

A New Cocktail From Brazil

By Sandra Scott

Manaus, a city of 1.5 million in the heart of Amazonia, is where all travel to the Brazilian rainforest begins. Our adventure started immediately after we were picked up at the airport and transported to a riverboat. We motored to the middle of the river to see the Encontro da Aguas—the meeting of the waters.

The dark waters of the Rio Negro converge with the lighter muddy waters of the Rio Solimoes. The two distinct shades of water run side by side for more than four miles without mixing. The separation is caused by the difference in temperature, density and flow rate of each river. The tourist boats churn the water, mixing it a bit, but when the boats leave the separation returns.

Later I described the trip to Luciana Hoshihara, the Tropical Hotel and Resort Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, “The Meeting of the Waters is an amazing sight! One really needs to see it to believe it.”

Luciana countered, “I have another adventure for you. We are revamping our cocktail menu and, Jose Ribeiro, our barman, has just created a new cocktail, Encontro da Aguas. Would you like to try it?”

Of course! We headed for the Bar Aquático located near the hotel’s wave pool. A stream made up of water from the Rio Negro encircles the pool area. Jose mixed the dark Crème de Cacao with pineapple juice and poured it into the glass. He topped it off with coconut milk mixed with golden rum, creating exactly the right color of the two rivers.  He topped it off with a star fruit.

Luciana presented it to my husband, “Here try it.  Not only does it look like the meeting of the rivers that form the Amazon, all the products come from Amazonia: the cacoa, pineapple, coconut, and star fruit.” What a wonderful meeting of waters and ingredients!

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