But you of course aren’t here for a linguistic (or html coding) lesson, you’d much prefer getting to the heart of the matter and find out more about what the heck cachaça is all about.
Cachaça is made by first fermenting sugar cane juice, and then distilling it. After distillation a little additional sugar can be added in order to enhance the flavor. Since sugar is the base product of cachaça, it can be argued that it is in the same family as rum. Traditional rum is made from fermented and distilled molasses, which is the by-product of making sugar, and rhum agricole is made from sugar cane juice, so the similarities are pretty close. If you aren’t able to find cachaça in your area, then you can substitute white rum instead.
It used to be that cachaça was extremely hard to find here in the states. I remember being excited on my first trip to Denver because I had heard that there was a Brazilian bar there that actually had cachaça and could make real Caipirinhas, which up until that time I had only had made with either vodka or rum. Today however it appears that cachaça is far more common, with several different brands available.
Most, if not all, cachaça comes from Brazil, where for all intents and purposes it is the national spirit. Brazil exports only a small amount of its cachaça, and only lately have the artisanal producers (such as Santiago) started taking advantage of a national market. It is also interesting to note that Brazil is also one of the world’s leaders in producing ethanol as a fuel alternative for cars. Their ethanol production is also based on sugar cane, with a process fairly similar, although more industrial, as to that of making cachaça. Hard to say if this is diverting sugar cane that might otherwise have been used to make cachaça, thus decreasing the overall amount, or if it means there is more production of sugar cane and thus both increasing the amount of cachaça that can be made, as well as decreasing the cost of sugar cane for its use. One thing for sure, you don’t want to try drinking the fuel, it’s non-potable.
For those of you looking for a reason for celebration, you can mark June 12th on your calendars. This is the unofficial “National Cachaça Day” in Brazil. It goes back to June 12, 1744 when Portugal, then colonizer of Brazil, declared the production and distribution of cachaça illegal throughout Brazil. Clearly the locals would have none of that, and so today it is a source of celebration of this particularly Brazilian spirit. On this day every year, I head over to a great little Brazilian restaurant “Tempero do Brasil” here in Seattle to raise a glass of cachaça in honor of the day. They serve several cachaça based drinks on their menu, one of them is the “Tempero, Cravo e Canela” as a wonderful after dinner “digestivo”.
Tempero, Cravo e Canela
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Simmer together until the sugar is completely dissolved, then add:
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
Simmer for 15 minutes to half an hour to extract the flavors. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
To serve pour into a small glass:
- 1 ounce syrup
- 1 1/2 ounce cachaça
Serve neat.
This is a recipe that was worked up by the chef at Tempero do Brasil, and is intended to be similar to a type of drink that is often available on the streets of Brazil. Sometimes the drink is simply cinnamon and clove infused cachaça, sometimes it has some sugar added to it for sweetness. The chef said that he lightly caramelizes the sugar before adding the water to it, this adds a little extra depth of flavor, as well as some additional coloring, I left that step out just to make the recipe easier to create at home. The chef also said that the amounts of the spices are something he just sort of adds “to taste” as opposed in very specific quantities. I’ve tried to indicate here what I feel is the right amount for the cinnamon and cloves, but feel free to modify these amounts as you feel is appropriate.
