Cachaça

[Lawrence]

Key Lime Pie

Recipe by: Lawrence C. Spies

(Send feedback please)

Ingredients:

Scale ingredients to servings

1 1/2 oz MdO Cachaca

1 oz Charbay Key Lime Vodka

3/4 oz Licor 43® liqueur

1 1/2 oz half and half cream (looking for a Brandy Alexander texture and thickness)

splash of Lime Juice

Directions of recipe

Pour ingredients into mixing cup filled with ice, shake and strain into glass.

Serve in: Chilled Martini Glass (see below)

Chilled Martini Glasses rimmed with Cachaca MdO and Graham Cracker Crust (use Cinnamon/Sugar Graham crackers or Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal)

Crush a handful into a powder, and dip chilled Cachaca rimmed Martini Glasses in mixture...Then fill, and serve with a slice of lime on rim.........

MdO Love Potion

Recipe by: Lawrence C Spies

(feedback welcomed) or

Ingredients:

Scale ingredients to servings

1 oz MdO Cachaca

1 oz Damiana

1 oz Amaretto almond liqueur

1 oz pineapple juice

1 oz cranberry juice

ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a shaker, half full of ice, shake well and strain into Martini glass, garnished with a wedge of pineapple

Cachaca Citrus Cocktail

Recipe by: Lawrence C Spies

(feedback please) or

2oz Mdo

1oz Skyy Citrus Vodka

1oz Pomegranate Juice

1oz Tangerine/Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice (Ocean Spray or sub)

Splash of Grenadine

Ice

Place all ingredients in a shaker, half full of ice, shake well and strain into a Martini

Glass, garnished with a slice of sugar coated grapefruit(sectioned) or tangerine......

[Lawrence]

my favorite Cachaca without question is "Cachaca Fazenda Mae De Ouro" an excellent pot stilled Cachaca......

[PatyGirl]

I don't know how good it is, but there recently appeared on the market a cachaça called SAGATIBA. It's the cachaça equivalent of smirnoff vodka, ie: commercial. It's selling really well in brazil, but it's not 'traditional' by any means.

[hazardnc]

I had a very good caipirinha at Alma de Cuba some weeks ago - my first ever. So, when I got back to Charlotte, I was excited to see I could buy cachaca at our ABC store - Gandaia brand. I have since made caipirinha's but they are never as good.

Katie Loeb, your Thai version sounds delicious - do you make your own ginger syrup or is that something I can buy? I have some Thai basil in the garden.

I also want more info on a pineapple version since I bought two pineapples at the store yesterday (on sale) and now I have to use them before they go bad! My local watering hole is making pineapple-tinis, but I did not care for the flavor.

[Lawrence]

hazardnc

try these webpages for a pineapple infused caipirinha

http://www.caipirinha.us/news2/QuickNews.a...ew&articleid=17

or

http://www.caipirinha.us/news2/QuickNews.a...ew&articleid=19

[KatieLoeb]

I had a very good caipirinha at Alma de Cuba some weeks ago - my first ever.  So, when I got back to Charlotte, I was excited to see I could buy cachaca at our ABC store - Gandaia brand.  I have since made caipirinha's but they are never as good.

Katie Loeb, your Thai version sounds delicious - do you make your own ginger syrup or is that something I can buy?  I have some Thai basil in the garden.

I also want more info on a pineapple version since I bought two pineapples at the store yesterday (on sale) and now I have to use them before they go bad!  My local watering hole is making pineapple-tinis, but I did not care for the flavor.

←

I confess the kitchen at Amada makes the ginger simple syrup for me, but it seems to be a pretty simple affair (so to speak). Lots of sliced ginger boiled in the syrup until thickened and then allowed to cool. We keep it in squeeze bottles at the bar (with a couple of slices of the ginger floating in it to identify it) as it's in one of our specialty cocktails.

As for your pineapples, just muddle some chunks of pineapple up with the limes and a little less sugar than normal. Proceed as for a regular caipirina.

Caipirinas are quite tasty with pineapple! Even just a splash of pineapple juice is good, but freshly muddled sweet fresh fruit will bring it to a new level.

[hazardnc]

Thanks - since the SO was none too pleased to see the pineapples (I have a tendency to buy fruit and then let it rot), I now have a good way to sue it up!

[Cachaca_Dave]

Pineapple, Kiwi and Grapes are all standards fruits for caipirinhas in Brazil. My personal favorite is the one made with fresh passion fruit pulp and seeds. The seeds are quite edible and have a nice crunch to them.

Alas, with no supply of passion fruit at my disposal I have been topping my caipirinhas with a splash (1/2 - 1oz) Ceres passion fruit juice. It's really good....

I'm also partial to the pear juice from Ceres but I didn't think much of the guava or apricot juices as a topper. Youngberry is OK too.

-Dave

[bigbear]

Dave..... Ever do anything with guanabana juice?

[Cachaca_Dave]

Dave..... Ever do anything with guanabana juice?

←

You know I haven't but I think I can find it in my local spanish supermarket. What are your thoughts on the juice? Tasty?

-Dave

[bigbear]

Dave..... Ever do anything with guanabana juice?

←

You know I haven't but I think I can find it in my local spanish supermarket. What are your thoughts on the juice? Tasty?

-Dave

←

I like it, but I never thought of using it with alcohol. Goya cans guanabana juice, so you can find it in just about any large supermarket in the NY metro area.

[hazardnc]

Note to self - make sure to mark the container in the fridge with the pineapple marinating in cachaca so that 18-year-old doesn't get a suprise when she grabs a bite to eat!

[Lawrence]

Honey Bear

Ingredients:

Scale ingredients to servings

Recipe by:Lawrence C Spies

or

1 1/2 oz MdO Cachaca

1 oz Barenjager® honey liqueur

1/2 oz Goldschlager® cinnamon schnapps

1/2 oz Vanilla schnapps

1 1/2 oz half and half cream

Directions of recipe

Pour ingredients into mixing cup filled with ice, shake and strain into glass.

Serve in: Chilled Martini Glass (see below)

Chilled Martini Glasses rimmed with Cachaca and Graham Cracker Crust (use Cinnamon/Sugar Graham crackers or Teddy Grahams - Cinnamon)

Crush a handful into a powder, and dip chilled Cachaca rimmed Martini Glasses in mixture... Then fill ........garnish with a floating Teddy Graham bear! (optional)

Chocolate Honey Bear

Ingredients

Scale ingredients to servings

Recipe by:Lawrence C Spies

or

1 1/2 oz MdO Cachaca

1 oz Dark creme de cacao

1/2 oz Goldschlager® cinnamon schnapps

1/2 oz Barenjager® honey liqueur

1 1/2 oz half and half cream

Dash of Vanilla extract(a drop or two)

Directions of recipe

Pour ingredients into mixing cup filled with ice, shake and strain into glass.

Serve in: Chilled Martini Glass

Chilled Martini Glasses rimmed with Cachaca and Graham Cracker Crust (use Cinnamon/Sugar Graham crackers or Teddy Grahams - Chocolate or Cinnamon)

Crush a handful into a powder, and dip chilled Cachaca rimmed Martini Glasses in mixture... Then fill....garnish with a floating Teddy Graham Bear! (optional)

Cachacarita

Ingredients

Scale ingredients to servings

Recipe by:Lawrence C Spies

or

1 1/2 oz MdO

1/2 oz Damiana Liqueur

1 oz Lime Juice

Rum the rim of a cocktail glass with lime juice, and dip in salt. Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into the glass, and serve

Edited June 7, 2006 by Lawrence (log)

[eje]

LeBlon Cachaca has started appearing in some liquor stores in California.

Anyone tried it yet? Opinions? Inside scoop?

Looks like Southernwine is distributing it and it is aged and filtered in Southern France for some inexplicable reason.

[LycheeLover]

I tried Leblon at the Bar Show in NY, and I must say it was really smooth. Made one of the best strawberry caipirinhas I've ever had

[Ian Storror]

Hi all

Debut posting from Bristol, England.

I've enjoyed reading the info' and trials and tribulations on the subject of cachacha.

Until two years ago we only had really rough brands in the uk, now it's changing by the month. Germana and Yipoca have become the used brands over '51', but better and much smoother, flavoursome brands are already challenging for the number one spot.

Most recently a local Mexican restaurant chain owner has begun acting as importer to the uk of a superb cachacha called "Magnifica".

It's made on a single plantation using it's own spring well water and was made specifically for the visit of the g-8 leaders to brazil some years ago in the clinton era (ah, halcyon days!!).

It's proving a winner over here but i don't know if it's available state side at the moment.

Keep up the chat

Ian

[herbacidal]

I tried Leblon at the Bar Show in NY, and I must say it was really smooth.  Made one of the best strawberry caipirinhas I've ever had

←

There was a party introducing Leblon for the restaurant Alma de Cuba's 5-year anniversary yesterday in Philadelphia.

I didn't make it, so I did'n't get to try it, but Southern is the regional distributor for a lot of good brands.

I hope it does well.

[KatieLoeb]

Skip the LeBlon. Mae de Ouro is now available in PA as an SLO, curiously also carried by Southern Wine & Spirits. Way smoother and makes a righteous caipirinha.

I'm happy to say I was able to help make this happen. There's hope if you're really determined.

[lancastermike]

Skip the LeBlon.  Mae de Ouro is now available in PA as an SLO, curiously also carried by Southern Wine & Spirits.  Way smoother and makes a righteous caipirinha.

I'm happy to say I was able to help make this happen.  There's hope if you're really determined. 

←

katie,

We have been using "51" with good results, really has become our favorite summer drink. The Mae de Ouro is worth the SLO you think? I'll be placing a SLO for some other items soon and maybe I'll try this as well. What are they getting for a bottle?

[donbert]

katie,

We have been using "51" with good results, really has become our favorite summer drink.  The Mae de Ouro is worth the SLO you think?  I'll be placing a SLO for some other items soon and maybe I'll try this as well.  What are they getting for a bottle?

←

I'm not Katie, but I'm sure she'll agree that MdO is definitely worth it. The wholesale price is $240 for a case of 1L bottles in CA.

[KatieLoeb]

Hi Mike:

The Mae de Ouro (SLO Code #54497 - Southern Wine and Spirits) is going for $25.59/bottle in PA, but it's a FULL LITER not a 750ml. The LeBlon is $34 for a 750 and not worthy at all.

Definitely worth the cost of admission. Makes the smoothest caipirinha I've had. You can totally taste the barrel effect on the product. Smooth and with some vanilla and caramel notes. Vast improvement over the other items available in the same category.

[Marcia]

Hi All,

I'm not cachaça expert at all, I like caipirinha but actually I can't even drink it too much...

I just want to say that I'm Brazilian and my dad used to own a bar in São Paulo. No, not that kind of bar with bartender and fancy shakers, god no. But a small snack bar to serve the working class, very simple place, formica tables, dusty calendars on the wall and things like that (and delicious food made by my mum). So I'd be glad to help you with some of my experience there, if I can.

He used to sell lots of cachaça (is called "Pinga" in Brazil, we only use the name "cachaça" or "aguardadente" to talk to foreigners) and caipirinha. But as I said, the majority of our customers were very simple, minimum wage workers, so my dad never used to have the prime quality cachaça in stock.

The cheap brands we used to sell were: Pitu, Tatuzinho, Três Fazendas, Jamel, Velho Barreiro and Pirassununga 51. And the "first class" ones were: Ypioca, Engenho de Minas and Caninha da Roça. Pirassununga 51 was by far the most popular and the favourite for caipirinhas (it doesn't mean it's the best quality but I believe it's good enough and it's cheap, so maybe that's why it's popular). Pitu was by far the worst, it's even a joke in São Paulo.

Those were the ones my dad used to sell. There are really dozen of other brands in Brazil I don't even know of. The state of Minas Gerais is famous for the "artisanal cachaça", aged in wood barrels, most of them are sold in clay bottles that you find in airports' shops. Ypioca Ouro (Gold - not the Silver) is also very famous for its quality and one of the favourites among brazilians, my dad always gives my (british) husband a bottle when we go there visit them.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the difference in taste and quality as I'm not into spirits. All I can do is to tell you the things I know from being a native and help you with translation or something like that. And I'd be glad to do that.

Or in case you want to talk about brazilian food...

By the way, my dad no longer owns the bar, he's 72 year old now and he still works. He's now an attendant of a bakery (padaria). Those who had the chance of visiting São Paulo and tried the "padaria snacks and sandwiches" know what being a "paulista" means.

Marcia

[eje]

There were some nice looking concord grapes at the grocery store today, so I thought I'd try this. Could maybe use a bit more sour. Might detract from grape-i-ness, so I don't know. My wife described it as Grape Ape. I thought the complex flavor of the concord grapes went nicely with that of the Cachaca.

8 concord grapes, halved

1 bare tsp sugar

2 oz cachaca (Mae de Ouro)

Muddle grapes and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Add cachaca and ice. Shake to chill and strain into cocktail glass.

edit - add picture

Edited August 26, 2006 by eje (log)

[Sneakeater]

Cachaca Dave had this promo event at LeNell's yesterday, and it appeared to be a fabulous success for him (who moved a lot of product) and me (who got introduced to a great product, had some delicious cocktails -- tip of the hat to Donbert here -- and had more grilled meat than was healthy). Congratulations, Dave!

[Kent Wang]

Cachaca Dave sent me a sample bottle of Mae de Ouro.

I performed an unblind tasting of Mae de Ouro, Ypioca Empalhada Ouro and Pitu.

I had performed a side-by-side of Pitu against 51 and determined that Pitu was a bit less harsh. Compared against these other two it was the worst, as it was not only harsh and hot but in a bad, chemical-like way, the same way that well vodka and Everclear are harsh.

The Ypioca is aged for two years and has a light brown color, comparable to reposado tequila. This was nearly as hot as the Pitu but did not have the off-putting chemical elements. The oak is noticeable though I prefer cachaca's with no oak, for the same reason why I prefer silver tequila over reposado and anejo.

Although the Mae de Ouro is aged for one year it is completely clear, just like the Pitu. A bit less hot than the Ypioca but the primary difference is that one can clearly detect the sweet vegetal character of sugar cane. I did not detect any oak. This was my favorite.

In a blind tasting that I administered to my friend, she ranked them in order of Mae de Ouro, Ypioca Empalhada Ouro and Pitu agreeing with my assessment.