Tag Archives: caipirinha

The Man Cave: How the World Cup Could Change the Way We Drink

Man Cave / June 21, 2014 / No Comments.

Let’s be honest: there’s very little chance that the United States will be bringing home the World Cup trophy this year. However, there is a good chance that Brazil’s national spirit, cachaça, could find it’s way over to the U.S. when this worldwide soccer frenzy is over.

If you are a devoted reader of Drinking in America (and we know you are), you’ve probably heard of cachaça before because we predicted it could start appearing in the U.S. in a post we wrote almost a year ago. We knew that the World Cup would probably have a big effect, not to mention the 2016 Rio Olympics, and darnit, we were right. Now other liquor lovers are starting to buzz about cachaça, with The Spirits Business even boasting that it could become as big as tequila. They quoted Steve Luttmann, founder and CEO of Leblon cachaça, as saying that he thinks people are going to come home from the World Cup and make cachaça “part of their permanent spirits repertoires.”

“The success experienced by tequila and margarita in the 1968 World Cup in Mexico could be experienced by cachaça and the Caipirinha in the 2014 World Cup. Similar to how Australian wine grew in the Sydney Olympics…these categories experienced massive growth and never looked back. I think the same will happen to cachaça,” said Luttmann.

Cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAH-sah) is cool because the taste is familiar, yet still a little different. It is distilled from sugar cane just like rum, but it also has a little bit of a tequila flavor. Nathan Whitehouse, co-founder of cachaça brand Avuá Cachaça, says that “A good artisanal cachaça should taste somewhere between a rum and a tequila.”

If you head to a local bar now while the World Cup is still going on, we have a feeling you may even find some cachaça-based cocktails being served, especially the always popular Caipirinha. Many establishments that have caught onto the growing trend have been slinging these drinks during the games as a way to offer a fun, authentic Brazilian liquor experience.

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Cocktail Corner: Caipirinha

Cocktail Corner / December 29, 2013 / 1 Comment.

With the New Year ahead of us, we’re getting excited about exploring our cocktail options. 2014 is going to be a year for branching out and trying spirits that we haven’t experimented with yet. First on our list: cachaca. What made cachaca so famous? The Caipirinha. Try this cocktail for a refreshing change from your mojito or margarita.

2 oz. Cachaca

Half a lime

2 tsp. sugar or .5 oz. simple syrup

Place lime wedges and sugar in a glass. Muddle the two together until all of the lime juice has been released. Add crushed ice and cachaca and stir. Sip away.

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Cachaça, the Caipirinha and Bringing Brazil to America

Cocktails / July 1, 2013 / 2 Comments.

You’ve heard of the margarita, right?

How about the mojito?

Well they all began outside of our country and we think we’ve spotted what could be the next popular drink to hit the U.S.: the caipirinha.

The caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil and it’s made with sugar, ice, lime and cachaça. It was basically unknown in the U.S., until recently. In the past few years as Brazilian food, restaurants, and culture have become more mainstream, the caipirinha has started popping up on cocktail menus and cachaça has become more widely available in liquor stores.

So, what is cachaça? It is similar to rum in that it is distilled from sugarcane, but cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAH-sah) almost has a hint of tequila flavor. As it works its way toward becoming more of a household name, we recommend scouting out a few bottles for your home bar. That way, when it becomes the next big thing, you can tell your friends that you were way ahead of the trend.

Some Brands of Cachaça Currently Being Sold in the U.S:

Leblon – Leblon is distilled in Brazil’s fertile Minas Gerais region. It has a delicate, fruity nose, combined with an ultra smooth finish.

Ypióca – This Brazilian company founded in 1846 was recently acquired by Diageo. It is the largest producer of cachaça in Brazil and they make several different types like Ypióca Crystal, a clear cachaça aged for 10 months in Brazilian wood barrels, and Ypióca Ouro, which is aged for two to three years in balsamic barrels, resulting in a spicier flavor.

Pitu – You can spot Pitu because of the red Pitu on the label (some people call it “the lobster”). It is made in northeast Brazil by a 75-year-old family owned business. They use the finest sugar cane, pure water and pedigreed yeast to make their product.

Fazenda Mae de Ouro – This cachaça is distilled in small batches and aged in oak for a year. It has delicate characteristics of vanilla and pepper mingled with the sweet character of sugar cane.

With the World Cup heading to Brazil in 2014 and the Olympics coming to town in 2016, we have no doubt that the love for cachaça is going to spread across the world very soon. Grab a bottle, make a caipirinha and let us know what you think.

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