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Brazilian Cachaca

Cachaca is a distilled liquor primarily made in Brazil. While cachaca, also referred to as "white rum," is often compared to rum, it is actually made from pure sugarcane, rather than molasses, which is used to make rum.

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The History of Brazilian Cachaca

No one knows who or where exactly cachaca comes from, but they do know its beginnings reside in Brazil's colonial period (around 1530). Legend has it someone discovered that by boiling the juice leftover from sugarcane, a sweet libation is created. Back then, cachaca was enjoyed most by peasants and slaves.

Tagged with the title "a poor man's drink," cachaca was actually given to slaves as a reward for a job well done. Now, however, Brazilian cachaca is widely enjoyed at home, abroad and among all social classes.

Because of cachaca's popularity around the world, many distributors offer wholesale cachaca to restaurants, bars and wine stores.

How Cachaca is Made

Luckily, Brazil is bursting with sugarcane. Since the distillation process is fairly simple, the cachaca industry is booming. Here are the steps for making cachaca:

The sugarcane is milled down so the juice can be extracted.
The milled sugarcane is then fermented for about 24 hours.
After fermentation, the sugarcane mixture is boiled.

Whether it's bottled immediately after boiling, or left alone to age, the liquor will have a unique sweet taste that makes cachaca one of Brazil's bestsellers.

Preparing and Drinking Cachaca

Ideally, cachaca is sipped on the rocks from a short glass or downed in a single gulp. Traditionally, some Brazilians spill a couple of drops to show respect for the saints before taking their shots.

If straight alcohol isn't your cup of tea, cachacas also work well in many mixed drinks. A good way to think of tasty drink recipes for cachaca is to think of cachaca as a substitute for vodka or rum.

Cachaca Cocktail Recipes

A drink called Caipirinha is the most popular Brazilian cocktail that uses cachaca. Caiprinhas are served all over, from South America to North America to Europe. Originally labeled a "poor man's drink," a good caipirinha today will ironically cost up to $15.

Here is a recipe for a Caipirinha, as well as a few other classic recipes that use Brazilian cachaca.

Caipirinha

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. cachaca
1 lime, cut into eight wedges
2 tsp. sugar.

Directions

Mash the lime and sugar in the bottom of a short glass.
Add desired amount of ice.
Pour in the cachaca while stirring. Continue stirring until sugar is mixed.

Bloody Lip

Ingredients

dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of tabasco
dash of lemon juice
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 oz. cachaca
tomato juice
celery stick and lime wedge, optional garnish.

Directions

Mix the Worcestershire, tabasco, lemon juice, celery salt and pepper in a tall glass with ice.
Add the cachaca.
Fill the remainder of the glass with tomato juice.
Stir and garnish with the wedge of lime and celery stick.

Brazilian Wax

Ingredients

2 oz. cachaca
pineapple juice
splash club soda
1/2 tsp. triple sec.

Directions

Pour cachaca into a tall glass filled with ice.
Fill remainder of glass with pineapple juice, club soda and triple sec.
Stir and enjoy.

A not-so-traditional drink that can be enhanced with Brazilian cachaca is a Bloody Mary. A hint of sweetness from the cachaca offsets the savory Worcestershire sauce.

Resources

Akkam, Alia (2007). Cachaca. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from the Beverage Network Web site:
http://www.bevnetwork.com/monthly_issue
_article.asp?ID=213.

Lifestyle Direct (2005). All About Cachaca, Brazilian "White Rum." Retrieved April 28, 2008, from the Nibble Web site:
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cocktails/cachaca.asp.

Morgan, Brian (2003). Brazilian Cachaca. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from the American University Web site:
http://www.american.edu/TED/cachaca.htm.

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