Cachaca

Pepe's Food & Liquor (2333 N. Western, 773-278-8756) appears to be your standard neighborhood liquor and sundries store, but it also carries a small stock of Brazilian goods, most importantly two kinds of cachaca, the rumlike sugarcane liquor critical to caipirinhas and batidas.

Though Rhumba has a fine selection of wines, including many by the glass, a good before-dinner bet is Brazil's classic cocktail, the caipirinha, made from a special rumlike drink called cachaca with sugar and sliced limes ($5).