Carnival a Dama

Kyle Jewett

Not only did I not know that longtime local brewery Novo Brazil had opened a new spot in the Mission Valley Mall, but I also missed the memo about their cocktail menu. But I’m here now, and I know I’ve just got to try one that incorporates their kombucha, so I pick the Carnival a Dama. “The name is to bring Brazilian culture to the menu, and the colors are more tropical, looking like Carnival,” says Kyle Jewett. “That was the inspiration — the party time summertime in Brazil.”

Luminous layers of purple and yellow cascade within a curvy cocktail glass garnished with both an orchid and an orange slice. “The baseline is the Beyond Spirit that we make ourselves, and it goes into all our caipirinhas, another very popular traditional Brazilian drink,” Jewett explains. “It’s a lower-proof alcohol made from organic cane sugar and triple -filtered below 32 degrees. It’s going to give it sort of an agave-ish flavor, but it’s not nearly as strong as tequila. And then we add Galliano, which is a botanical liqueur that adds the yellow color that helps with the gradient. And that also adds a flowery taste at the beginning. Then we throw in a little bit of lime and grapefruit juice for citrus.”

Pointing to a brightly-patterned can on display, he continues, “Then we throw our dragon fruit kombucha on top to add more sweet and our own Novo flavor. That’s going to cause the gradient from the purple to the yellow that gives it the iconic look.” The kombucha is brewed in partnership with the San Diego Wave FC: “We named it La Ola, being ‘the wave’ in Spanish. And we designed it to be refreshing, a little sweet.”

Jewett is able to convert a lot of nonbelievers to kombucha just by giving them tasters of the top sellers, including the dragon fruit. “People love the color, I think the color is one of the things that sets us apart from other kombuchas. And it helps in a drink like this, where you want the appearance to be striking.” He says it’s “a good drink for pleasing a lot of people. It doesn’t go too far in any one direction. It’s not overly sweet or botanical, or bitter... it’s a good blend of both worlds.” Much like the drink, he believes Novo Brazil offers a vibrant, fruitful clash of cultures. “You know, we have Brazilian food, Mexican food, and American food on the menu. It brings a lot of San Diego together, I think.”

Novo Brazil’s

Carnival a Dama

• 1 oz Novo Beyond Spirit
• .75 oz Galliano
• .5 oz lime juice
• .5 oz grapefruit juice
• 2 oz La Ola Dragon Fruit Kombucha

Combine all ingredients except kombucha in a tin, shake and pour into a hurricane glass with ice. Top with Novo Brazil’s Dragon Fruit Kombucha and garnish with an orchid and an orange slice.