Debs, for me Seleta is the best quality/value I can find in Brazil! It costs abt US$ 7-8

Noma
Momofuku
Alinea
(the books!!)

Use a pressure cooker, cook the octopus for 25 minutes, with no water, it will cook on own liquid. After this, will be ready for use in any preparation. You can even use the liquid for doing a octopus risoto.

Use Ypioca that is avialable in US market, don´t waste your money with Sagatiba.
Maybe Espirito de Minas you can find too, is great

streetgourmetla did a very good explanation abt cachaça, even better than me that I was supposed to be a good conesseur as a Brazilian and consumer of caipirinhas and cachaças. I just desagree abt Sagatiba, that is too much marketing and too little taste, you will pay more for less quality than Ypioca. If you can find in your market buy any cachaça frm the Salinas area, any of them are far better than all others, except the ones frm Paraty like Coqueiro and Maria Isabel.
The good ones frm Salinas will cost abt US$ 5-6 in Brazil. I can suggest Boazinha, Seleta, Salinense, Lua Cheia.
Some will cost more than US$ 100 like Anisio Santiago, waste of time and money, buy a good cognac for half price.

The best procedures I found at this link: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/re...
My recipe is;
1 cup of sugar (white) x 1 cup of salt (mixed 1/2 of refined x 1/2 of kosher)
2 tsp of black pepper
a lot of dill on the top
wrap with plastic film and place it on a pan but inclined for a better drain of the "syrup" for 48 hours inside refrigerator.