Cachaça, the Other White Spirit

Cachaça, the latest overnight success – just four centuries in the making. If that sounds ridiculous to you, good. All glibness aside, Cachaça has become a darling of the spirits enthusiast set. Thanks to the proliferation of the Brazilian “Churrasco” steakhouses in the US, it’s becoming mainstream as well. It seems that few can resist slabs of freshly grilled meat served on a sword.

Cachaça is the national spirit of Brazil, which on its face seems impressive but once examined, it’s a gross understatement of fact. Brazil produces roughly two billion liters of Cachaça annually and keeps about 1.6 billion liters for themselves. This translates to more than 10 liters of Cachaça per year for every man, woman and child of Brazil. Chances are . . . you’re not keeping up.

Cachaça, while gaining in popularity, is still greatly misunderstood. Like many mysterious white spirits (grappa comes to mind) Cachaça is often believed to be harsh or “firewater,” which is far more an appropriate description of Cachaça made more than a decade ago. In fact a great number of the Cachaça brands found on store shelves today did not exist as a brand a decade ago, and many are younger than five years. Today’s Cachaça is a vibrant and versatile spirit that stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s greatest white spirits.

What is Cachaça?
Cachaça is a unique variety of Rum. Confusion on this front is further exacerbated by the inanity of the federal government that requires all Cachaça imported into the US to be labeled as “Brazilian Rum” simply because they do not have a Cachaça category. Cachaça is distilled from fermented sugarcane juice while most Rum is a distillate of fermented molasses, although this is certainly not the rule (notably Rhum Agricole made in the French West Indies). Cachaça is rarely aged for a significant period of time and in most cases when it does pick-up color from wood casks the color is stripped away via filtration.

Cachaça, like many centuries-old spirits, started out as a fermented product made when cooked sugarcane juice was allowed to naturally cool and spontaneously ferment using nothing but the ambient yeast and bacteria found in the air. In the 16th century, stills built by Portuguese settlers transformed this sour and erratic drink to a far more powerful and pure drink. At first officials frowned upon the production of Cachaça and then later relented when it simply became more expedient to tax it (sound familiar?).

In fact for much of Cachaça existence it has been seen as a drink for the lower class while the elite satiated themselves with imported Whisky and Cognac. Fortunately, Cachaça is finally getting its day. Cachaçarias (restaurants & bars featuring Cachaça) are springing up nearly weekly in Brazil’s top cities. Some of these establishments boast a selection of greater than 100 Cachaça brands. This trend is not only confined to Brazil as a growing number of Cachaça bars are emerging in major US cities as well.

Enjoying Cachaça
Outside of Brazil, Cachaça is most frequently consumed in the nation’s most famous export cocktail, the caipirinha. The caipirinha is rather simple in its design and construction being made with just lime, sugar (or simple syrup), and Cachaça served on ice. The combination of the sweet sugar and tart lime with the Cachaça is most refreshing and consumed by the hundred on Brazil’s vast and famous beaches.

With the emergence of modern Cachaça that features clean and pure flavors, Cachaça is more frequently being consumed straight in the US. Beyond the pleasures of enjoying Cachaça as a solo performer, I believe that Cachaça's best asset is its incredible versatility as a cocktail foundation. Cachaça is so wonderfully pure with a great range of accenting flavors that is an ideal base for a wide variety of cocktail styles. It brings far more to the party than a neutral spirit and for this reason, bartenders discovered the joys of Cachaça long ago.

Today, it is estimated that there are 4,000 brands of Cachaça. Consumers in the US will never see most of these Cachaças, nor should we. However, it is clear that the popularity of Cachaça is growing and we will see dozens of new brands in the coming years as investment in the South American nation grows. Jump on the trend while the movement is still young.