SAO PAULO (AP) — Friday night was anything but typical at a bar near Paulista Avenue, one of Sao Paulo’s busiest areas and a popular destination for tourists. Nearly every table was ordering beer, wine or draft beer but no cocktails.

Edilson Trindade, the manager who has worked at the bar since 2018, told The Associated Press the establishment usually sells about 80 caipirinhas — Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaça, lime, sugar and ice — each night. Last week, he didn’t sell a single one. No other cocktails were ordered, either.

“Clients have been worried, and we’re advising them it’s better not to drink cocktails,” Trindade said.

His concern reflects a nationwide unease over distilled beverages following a surge in methanol poisoning cases that has prompted police investigatio

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