Cachaça 101

Unique only to Brazil, Cachaça is pronounced ka-SHA-sa, with the emphasis on the ‘SHA.’ Like Hefeweizen, Fahrvergnugen, and Pinot Grigio, Cachaça is a foreign word easy to mispronounce – at least initially. As a newly adopted discovery, Cachaça is quickly becoming part of our ‘social currency’ lexicon. The same is happening for Cachaça’s cocktail sidekick, Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil popping up on cocktail menus across the country (pronounced kai-pur-EEN-ya, with the emphasis on the third syllable).

So what is Cachaça anyways? And is it a rum or not?

Cachaça is a Brazilian spirit distilled from fresh sugar cane juice. It is the third most consumed spirit in the world behind only vodka and soju/shochu, the Asian distillates made predominantly from rice. Historians date the initial creation of Cachaça somewhere between 1532 and 1550 in Brazil, predating the date of creation of rum (1651 in Barbados) by more than one hundred years.

Unlike Rum, which is usually made from molasses, Cachaça can only be made from fresh sugar cane juice, and can only be made in Brazil. Brazilian law requires that Cachaça be distilled no higher than 54% alcohol by volume, and bottled between 38% and 48% alcohol by volume. That being said, most exported Cachaça has an alcohol content similar to vodka, tequila, rum, or gin – 40% alcohol by volume (or 80 proof).

So why then the rum question? According to U.S. law, any spirit derived from sugar cane must be labeled as a rum – in Cachaça’s case, ‘Brazilian Rum.’ This nomenclature has been in dispute for some time, with discussion and consideration of separating Cachaça into its own ‘class,’ like tequila, or an ‘appellation’ within a broader class, like cognac and champagne. With the increasing popularity of Cachaça, more and more people are asking for the distinction, especially since the cultural and sensorial differences between rum and Cachaça are so significant.

So what are those sensorial differences? Since Cachaça is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice, and not molasses (a derivative of sugar cane), it has a fruitier, fresher nose than rum. Its taste is subtly sweet and fresh, and since it comes directly from the crop, Cachaça has distinctive vegetal notes reminiscent of tequila (in fact, many mixologists and sommeliers liken Cachaça more to a tequila than a rum because of the unique vegetal notes in the nose).

How do you use Cachaça? In Brazil, Cachaça is consumed predominantly pure or in a Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil. Made with muddled lime, the Caipirinha is now becoming a standard cocktail on menus across the country and the world. In addition, as a white spirit, Cachaça has amazing versatility, and is being used by bartenders and mixologists in their own creative concoctions, twists on classics (ie Brazilian Cosmos and Margarita Sambas to frozen drinks (‘batidas’) and bar chef cocktails (think: muddled strawberries with basil…).

So, now that you understand what Cachaça is, how to say it, and how to use it, we invite you to explore this wonderful new world. Is Cachaça the next Tequila? Is the Caipirinha the new Margarita? We have no idea – but we do know this: it’s a wonderful thing.