In search of a cup of Cerrado, a World Heritage site,
to ZIMBRO BAR in Goiás State, Brazil.

The cocktail scene in Brazil is often difficult to grasp in Japan. This is especially true for regional cities. Masato Aso, a cachaça journalist who travels between Japan and Brazil, visited ZIMBRO BAR in Goiás, Brazil, and reported on the latest cocktail trends there.

writer：Massato Asso（カシャッサ・ジャーナリスト）

The opening photo is of Mr. Benício Calaça.

To Goiás State, located in the midwestern, inland region of Brazil.

Brazil's cocktail and bar culture is now entering a new phase, influenced by the recent reappraisal of cachaça, the craft gin boom, and the gastronomic world's focus on regional ingredients.

Outstanding bartenders with distinctive personalities are making headlines not only in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro but also in regional cities across the country.

Benício Calaça, a finalist in the 2021 "DIAGEO WORLD CLASS BRAZIL" competition, is one such figure.

Benício is the owner-bartender of ZIMBRO BAR in Goiânia, the capital of Goiás state, located in Brazil's midwestern, inland region.

In 2020, his "Maple Old Fashioned" was featured in the renowned drinks magazine "Difford's Guide." This marked the first time a cocktail by a bartender outside Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo had been featured.

This year, I finally fulfilled my long-held wish to visit this bar, a place I'd always wanted to experience.