Bye Bye Brasil

 

Are you a ‘strutter’ or a ‘swayer’?

A ‘hip shaker` or a ‘toe tapper´?

Or perhaps you prefer a subtle stare from a safe distance?

Some people may feel more comfortable in their dancing shoes than others, but like it or not we´ve all got a pair! So dig them out, wipe off the dust and boogie on down to Bye Bye Brasil for a Samba extravaganza with Porktie.

 

Nestled just outside Barcelona is a little part of Brazil that is causing partygoers to shimmy and slide along the street as they make their way home from a night out on the tiles. Bye Bye Brasil is a beachside music bar in Castelldefels - it´s around twenty five minutes on the train from the centre of Barcelona... but it really is well worth the trip!

 

This place has all the ingredients for the perfect night out... and they’re not just in the cocktail shaker! A super-friendly and easy-going atmosphere, a soundtrack to shake even the most hesitant hips and above all...dancing that really does have to be seen to be believed! Even some of FC Barcelona’s most famous Brazilian footballers have hung out here in the past – and their photos are proudly displayed behind the bar to prove it! So if it’s good enough for Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, then it’s good enough for Porktie.

 

As you arrive, outside you are greeted with bamboo canes, palm leaves and a building adorned by various versions of the famous green, yellow and blue Brazilian flag. As you head in and pass between two flaming torches it won’t take long for you to warm up once inside.

 

To quench your thirst there is really only one drink you can choose to make your Brazilian experience truly authentic –a Caipiriña. Brazil’s National Cocktail is a sugary sweet treat made using cachaça - the country’s most popular distilled alcoholic drink. And when we say popular, we mean popular - Brazilians drink 1.5 billion litres of the stuff every year! ‘Bye Byes’ claim to make the best Caipiriña outside of Brazil – so naturally Porktie asked for a few pointers on how you make PORKTIE’S PERFECT CAIPIRIÑA (with a little help from Bye Bye Brasil)

 

PORKTIE’S PERFECT CAIPIRIÑA

• Erm, how do you say that? -  Portuguese pronunciation [kajpiˈɾĩja]
• What is it? -  Brazil’s National Cocktail
• What’s in it? - Cachaca, Lime, Sugar and Ice
• What You Need -  3 x medium-sized fresh limes 5x ice cubes (crushed) 2x teaspoons sugar Plenty of cachaça, (you can use vodka or wine instead –but make sure you only choose one!)

Method

1. Cut the limes into small ‘wedges’ and put into cocktail shaker

2. Add sugar and mash it into the wedges making a little juice

3. Fill your glass with ice (crushed ice melts faster and dilutes the drink more quickly than cubes)

4. Add the cachaça, mix well, and serve The verdict? The staff at ‘Bye Byes’ certainly know how to make a Caipiriña with a kick!

 

So you’ve got your drink, now there’s only one place to go next -the dancefloor- and at Bye Bye Brasil there is a dancefloor with a difference!

The dancing is led by Didi; the bar’s resident dancer and undisputed King of Samba. Dressed in bright, traditional costume, with long locks of black curly hair and a smile as wide as the Amazon River, this deft dancer cuts a striking figure. And like any great King, Didi gains followers. His infectious shoulder shaking, whirling and twirling routines spread across the dancefloor like wildfire. And before you can say “Ready Steady Samba”, orderly lines of people are forming behind him, as they begin to copy him - mimicking his every move.

 

Like the coolest conductor in the world Didi dances with a dedicated set of disciples behind him, following his every shake, shuffle and shimmy. And as these lines of smiling samba stars slide across the dancefloor to the boisterous Brazilian beats...that’s when Bye Bye Brasil truly comes alive. Definitely worth making the trip!

 

More Info

• Bye Bye Brasil Passeig Marítim, 215 Playafels (Castelldefels) Barcelona
• Open on Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm until dawn.

Getting to Castelldefels

• Renfe trains from: Estacio de Franca, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona Sants (T-50/30/10 cards accepted)
• Night bus: Number L96 from Plaça Catalunya

Bye Bye Brasil - Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47301823270