Bbc

With a mouth-numbing effect that's similar to – but stronger than – the Chinese spice, jambu is a potent, electrifying herb that is starting to tingle ...

Indigenous to the Atlantic Forest and a relative of basil, alfavaca anis has a more complex, liquorice-like flavour reminiscent of star anise. "It's a big challenge, but a big opportunity too." Failing to find the spirit back home in São Paulo – the world's fourth largest city where just about everything is usually available – they started making their own jambu cachaça at a distillery in the state of São Paulo. However, they were surprised people knew so little about such a quintessentially Brazilian product. "This movement has started gaining momentum and I don't think it's a trend," she said, "it's something that is here to stay." "We learned from abroad what is good and what's not," said Felipe Jannuzzi, founder of BR ME, an online store that specialises in Brazilian ingredients. Not only does jambu accentuate the fiery notes of the alcohol, but its numbing properties make jambu cachaça "interesting to kiss with", according to Pereira. It is, in other words, the perfect party drink. The friends knew nothing about jambu and were blown away by their first collective encounter with its "trembling" effect. Leodoro Porto, proprietor of Meu Garoto bar in Belém, is credited with creating the first jambu-infused cachaça back in 2011. Until recently, the herb was almost unknown outside of Brazil's Amazon region, where it is a feature of traditional dishes like tacacá, a sour prawn broth in which jambu highlights the sharp, savoury notes of wild cassava roots. But while the latter is a staple of Chinese cuisine, jambu has only recently begun tingling tastebuds nationwide. "When people started using jambu I thought, 'wow, about time'," said Néli Pereira, a São Paulo-based mixologist who has known about jambu for longer than most. It's the same unbearable yet pleasurable intensity of chilli pepper, except instead of heat, there's a cool, numbing sensation that takes a long time to subside and leaves you wanting more.