As of right now, the national drink of Brazil isn’t that well known stateside. If the PR savvy makers of Leblon Cachaça have their way, however, the cachaça-based caipirinha will soon be doing battle with the mojito (which I promise we’ll be covering here shortly) for the title of most chic Latin American beverage in North America.

Because of U.S. labeling regulations, cachaça is frequently confused with rum. While rum is made from molasses, cachaça is made from sugar cane juice which makes them relatives, but anything but identical twins when it comes to flavor. As I understand it, most brands of the drink consumed in Brazil are also first-cousins to lighter fluid, but Leblon — the only brand I’ve tried so far — is of a far finer stripe and sells here for between $20-$30. The reason I know the brand is that it is buying influencing writers like me with bounteous alcoholic swag. Not a bad start, to be honest.

I’ve experimenting with the stuff for over a week and what I can tell you is that, like all really interesting booze, it’s a somewhat acquired taste, but I’m enjoying doing the acquiring. It has a complex flavor that is less sweet than rum or whiskey and is closer to dry gin or vodka, but with more than a hint of olives about it and some other odd flavors I can’t quite identify and am still getting used to. It makes an okay martini, but it’s terrific with a few splashes of ginger ale and a lot of ice. I’m sure there are lots of other classic drinks using gin or vodka it could be easily worked into.

So far, the Caipirinha, which is somewhere between and old fashioned and a mojito in terms of preparation, is the most intriguing way to go with cachaça that I’ve found, and it’s about as refreshing on a hot August night as any drink I’ve had. And, no, I have no idea how to pronounce the name of the cocktail, either.

The Caipirinha

2 ounces cachaça
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1 lime

Cut a good sized lime into wedges. Add sugar and muddle vigorously in a rocks/old fashioned glass. The backside of a spoon won’t do here; you’ll want a proper muddler or a blunt instrument of some sort because you’ve really got to smash the lime wedges and sugar but good to form a sort of juicy paste. Add lots of crushed ice and pour the cachaça over it. Stir with a bar spoon or swizzle stick for maybe 30 seconds or longer to allow a lot of the ice to melt. Sip away.

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The recipe the Leblon people provided me called for the drink to be shaken with vigor for about 10-30 seconds, and you can do so either in a cocktail shaker or by shaking the concoction in the glass itself using a professional-type shaker. My personal opinion is that’s only necessary if you don’t have crushed ice, because you’ll need a way to extract some water out of that ice fairly quickly. If you’ve got crushed ice handy, my way is easier, tidier and, I think, tastier.

Not surprisingly, there are endless variations on the caipirinha theme, many of them involving smashed fruits of various sorts. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but a lot of them sound delicious and you can definitely check out more recipes at the Leblon website. Personally, I’m just thinking about raiding my fridge for whatever fruits are there and seeing what happens.

Sparks have been given a raw deal by time. They may not have been the best or brightest band of their era, but they were making damn interesting, and at times insanely catchy, records of any genre, and particularly for early ’80s synth pop. In a field where you’re only as good as your latest synthesizer, the Mael brothers (Ron and Russell) dared to make art with their keyboards. Pity they’re not given more credit for that.

This song, from their 1982 album Angst in My Pants, is a sentimental favorite because it appeared on the first mix tape (that’s right, we said it, mix tape) that this writer received from the girl who would one day become his wife. We even played it at our wedding, something that we’re guessing the Maels would find amusing. This video is homemade, but it’s cute. The song is really the key here, though. (And for the record, love is not worse than war and worse than death. If it feels that way, you’re doing it wrong.)

Infiniti invited Bullz-Eye out to Pebble Beach for the annual Concours d’Elegance and the introduction of the new Infiniti JX Concept crossover. The new vehicle was unveiled last night at an elegant reception at the famed Lodge at Pebble Beach.

The Infiniti JX Concept is a preview of a new 7-passenger/3-row luxury crossover that joins the Infiniti lineup in spring 2012. The JX Concept was unveiled by Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura: “The JX Concept advances the Infiniti design language, sharing design cues of the Infiniti Essence concept, yet interprets those elements in ways suitable to the needs of a family luxury crossover. From the dramatic front grille and headlight design to the crescent-cut D-pillar and greenhouse shape, the JX Concept shines as a fresh, bold alternative to the many flavors of vanilla currently dominating the three-row luxury crossover segment.”

As you can see from the photos above, the JX Concept stands out with aggressive styling. The accessibility and comfort of the third-row seating will also be a major selling point. “With the JX, you will even be able to leave a child seat latched to the 2nd row while getting in or out of the 3rd row – just one example of the vehicle’s inspired flexibility and versatility,” explained Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore. “The 3rd row isn’t the typical penalty box either, with adult-sized room for all occupants and five-and-a-half inches of 2nd row forward-back adjustability.” Learn more about this and other Infiniti vehicles at the Infiniti Facebook page.

Check back as we will be posting more updates from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This event is one of the premier celebrations of the automobile as only the most beautiful and rare automobiles are invited to appear on the famed eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links each year.

The first day was all about the history and pedigree of the Chevy small block. Today, we experienced how the small block is being used nowadays and a firsthand account of cruising on Woodward. We started the day at the birthplace of ZO6, ZR1, and Grandsport Corvette motors. Then, we cruised Woodward in the Chevy parade and ended the day by sampling applications of the small block in both Chevy cars and others.

The GM Performance Center is where traditional craftsmanship and modern attention to detail meet to create some of the highest performing motors on the planet. Here, every 430hp Grand Sport motor, 505hp Z06 motor and 638hp ZR1 motor take shape. Each motor is built completely by hand and signed by the technician that builds it.

To ensure correct specifications, advanced torque wrenches are used to give the builder a guide when each individual fastener is bolted to the motor. In fact, each bolt’s torque is registered in a massive database for each engine to ensure quality even after the engine leaves the factory. No other facilities offer this level of attention to detail, not even many of Mercedes’ AMG engines.

Not only is every motor built by hand, but if you partake in the Build Your Own program, the hands that build your Z06, ZRI or Grandsport motor could be your own. For $5800, you can visit the performance center, and with the help of a qualified GM engine builder, build your own motor. At the end of the process, your own name will appear on your engine’s build plate.

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If there’s one automotive pilgrimage that must be made by gearheads everywhere, it’s the Woodward Dream Cruise. Located in the automotive Mecca of Detroit, MI, the Woodward Dream Cruise is a weeklong event that celebrates the religion of cars. The Dream Cruise specifically worships the sect of classic American muscle cars with big V8’s, aggressive lines and bad attitudes. All cars are welcome, but these vintage American hulks from a bygone era reign supreme. Today was the calm before these cars are awaken from their slumber and marched towards Woodward Ave. Every year brings something unique, and this year is no exception.

This year’s Dream Cruise marks not only the year of Chevrolet’s centennial anniversary, but also the 100 millionth small block Chevy V8 to be produced. If there were one spokesman for the entire muscle car movement, one defining piece, it would be the Chevy small block. There is no better place to pay homage to this piece of engineering than the Woodward Dream Cruise.

The mission of the Chevy small block was simple: create an affordable engine to bring the power that the marketplace demanded. In 1955, chief engineer Ed Cole completed that task. The result was the Chevy small block.

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Bullz-Eye is truly enjoying driving and testing a 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition in some fabulous Midwest weather. The Sparkling Black Mica Miata has a hard top that drops in seconds and is one fun car to drive. Check back for our full review of this sports car in a few weeks.

A bag for every situation. That may not be Slappa’s official slogan, but it could be. We’ve reviewed a slew of Slappa products over the years, most recently the 18” Kiken shoulder bag and the M.A.S.K. custom build backpack. Like all of Slappa’s gear, both the Kiken and M.A.S.K. offer loads of space, but while the Kiken works best for daily commutes and business travel, the M.A.S.K. is a customizable backpack perfect for overnighters and weekend trips. Slappa’s newest bags, the Kampus and Stovepipe duffle-style laptop backpacks, serve a more utilitarian purpose: to get as much of your gear as possible from Point A to Point B. Fortunately, with bottomless main storage areas and padded laptop compartments, Point B can be any number of destinations, from a long weekend with your buddies or a getaway with your girl to your Economics class across campus before heading to the gym.

Both backpacks are super lightweight and feature a 3.5 gallon duffle-style main compartment, a dedicated .25” super-cush padded laptop compartment (available for 16” or 18” laptops), and a pair of decently sized inner pockets perfect for gadgets, school/office supplies or any other handheld items. The Kampus, however, sets itself apart with its outer pockets and overall design. The khaki version we reviewed is a great looking bag, which is precisely what we’ve come to expect from Slappa, and the two other color choices look cool as well. Two large and seamless pockets stretch across either side of the backpack while a third vertical pocket bisects the front of the bag. All three pockets are deep but, as I learned when packing for a recent camping trip, they unfortunately didn’t offer as much usable space as I’d hoped once I stuffed the inside of the bag full of clothes, toiletries and my laptop. The mesh pocket on the inside of the top flap makes for one more useful storage area, although that too is somewhat limited depending on how full the main compartment is.

The Stovepipe is fundamentally the same bag but with a different skin. The three deep pockets from the Kampus are replaced with four smaller pockets on the outside of the Stovepipe. Unfortunately, none of the four pockets offer much space at all. In fact, we’d rather have just two deep side pockets that go all the way to the bottom of the bag than the four shallow pockets stacked in pairs on each side. The bottom pockets in particular seem almost pointless – maybe for pens and pencils, a couple jump drives and pocket change, but not much else. We also weren’t too keen on the front “jacket-flap,” which folds down and hangs off the front of the bag when it’s open, but design elements like that typically are just a matter of taste.

Slappa stayed true to the duffle bag concept with their Kampus and Stovepipe backpacks by offering tons of packable space in the main compartment but precious little additional pocket space anywhere else. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does limit each bag’s usefulness since the vast majority of the stuff you cram in there will be in the same area, making it a bit of a challenge to find what you’re looking for, especially if you have clothes and other gear all mixed together. These aren’t bags you’re going to live out of for a weekend – I pulled all my clothes out during my camping trip so I didn’t have to dig through the bag every time I wanted to change my shirt – but they are bags that will get you and your stuff to your weekend. They also pack up great and are easy to sling across your back, even when they’re packed to the gills, which makes them perfect for hikers and bikers, particularly those who need to travel with their laptops.

If you prefer backpacks to duffles, Slappa recently introduced two new faces for their M.A.S.K. custom build backpack. We first tested the M.A.S.K. a couple years ago with the High Five and KOA custom faces, and now Slappa has two more options: the Transit and Koop faces. Each is built similarly, with a foldout pocket at the bottom and a deeper, more useful pocket at the top, but the Koop is more of an eye-catcher with its electric blue styling while the Transit features a third pocket in the front, sitting stealthily behind two flaps. This extra pocket isn’t big enough to hold much more than a passport, wallet and plane ticket, but that alone makes it useful. In fact, the M.A.S.K. together with the Transit makes for one super useful carryon bag with easy accessibility. Yet another Slappa bag for another situation.

Here’s a great clip from Eddie Murphy’s famous Delirious special.

Like everyone else, we’re thrilled that the billionaires and millionaires were able to settle their differences so that the rest of us could enjoy pro football and everything that goes with it this fall. Of course we always have college football, but all the silly scandals and the idiotic BCS system make this a flawed sport. The NFL rules the day and it makes the end of summer much easier to handle. Here are some thing to start thinking about as we’re into the preseason schedule:

Tailgating – now is the time to start planning some great NFL weekends, whether it’s a road trip or just a local thing. Think about cool gear like grilles and other supplies you’ll need to spice up your tailgate party.

Fantasy Football – It’s never too early to start studying so you don’t sound like a fool on draft day.

NFL odds – This season will be very unpredictable with the lack of an offseason and all the new coaches and quarterbacks. Is Colt McCoy the real deal in Cleveland> Can Donovan McNabb still play? Will Chad Henne still suck? The preseason is overrated as a predictor of the NFL season, but this year you probably need to watch things a little more closely to get ready for the season.

Check out this cool video from Scion for the new Scion tC RS 7.0. Scion’s sporty tC coupe was completely redesigned for 2011 and now it gets this new special edition for 2012.