Cachaça Cocktail (Caipirinha)

[Jason Perlow]

I've been told Cachaca Pitu, which appears to be a rum from Brazil but is billed as a "sugar cane liquor", is great for making a mixed drink called the

Caipirinha, which appears to be a mojito variant but is made with a lot more lime and no mint.

Anyone try either of these? There are also 3 other notable Cachaça producers, that being Toucano, Ypioca and Barreiro.

[J R]

hey Jason,

Cachaca Cane Spirit is basically rum produced under less strict distillation methods than the established 180 - 80 proof standards we're used to from carribean rums. Similar to Rothchild's CSR. As for Ypioca, they bottle three Cachacas: Gold, Crystal, and Silver. Toucano is actually Ypioca's only Rum and it has a taste that just about blows your head off. All of these are imported by Mr. Preiss. I have not yet tried the Barreio or the Pitu (I think the Lobster in the label is scaring me off!). but anyway, one bottle of ypioca is more than enough of this type of spirit for my collection.

[John Moore]

Greetings lads.  Here in Germany the Caipi has taken the market by storm.  These drinks are everywhere, and unfortunately the populace of this entire nation seems duped into believing that Cachaca is a high quality spirit.  The reality is that it is a poor excuse for rum.  If you do want to make an excellent version of the Caipirinha, take a lime and muddle it with a few teaspoons of natural sugar.  Add fresh crushed ice and a blend of your favorite white or blond rums... ta die for!  I normally make mine with either Ron Botran Anejo.  Yes, that is extraordinarily hedonistic, but we only live once.  Ciao for now.

(Edited by John Moore at 4:23 am on Dec. 18, 2001)

[Kikujiro]

Same here in the UK. Caipirinhas are now standard offer in most bars (well, those I go to in London anyway), and seem to have been introduced mainly in an extraordinary marketing coup by Pitu, with which they're always made. As I discovered caipirinhas for myself in Cuba, I was under the happy impression they were made with white rum, and I tend to prefer them with HC3, which is creeping into lots of bars too. Not convinced by mixing really aged rums in a this kind of drink; seems a waste as the lime and sugar are pretty powerful ingredients.

At home I use ice cubes instead of crushed ice, which obviously makes the whole experience a little stronger

[kjohn]

Agreed. Good rum in this drink is a total waste. If the Pitu lobster scares you and industrial machinery doesn't, you should try Pirapuru (sp?.) It's in a green bottle. I think it tastes a lot smoother than the Pitu.

[anil]

There are many different types and brands of Cachacas in Brazil. A substitute for cachaca is Vodka - Caiprivodka, prominently advertised in many of the beach cafes by Copa. Some of these places make a really potent caiphrinia, which an unsuspecting gringo tends to slug down, and a carioca knows to avoid.

Caiprivodka has a lesser hangover IMHO Been there - done that Check my old reports.

[CooksQuest]

Another "decent" inexpensive one -- other than Pitu (which others have posted about) -- is called "51". You can find it in Newark, NJ. and also in Hoboken. It retails for about $12.99 - $13.99/bottle. It's a staple cachaça for many of my friends in São Paulo.

Hey, at least you don't have that "Pitu Lobster" staring at you...

[Ed Hamilton]

Like a lot of things, whether Cachaca is or isn't rum depends on your perspective. It is made from sugar cane but it is also highly distilled so in some countries it can't be called rum. But then in Brazil it is considered rum and it is popular which brings up another point that just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it isn't any good.

I believe the popularity of Cachaca is due in part to the fact that it is new to the market. A friend in the retail business in Chicago doesn't know why he sells so much cachaca but he does.

Although the caipirinha is made with sugar and lime it is a lot closer to the French 'ti punch than a mojito which is made with sugar, lime, mint, soda water and, of course, rum.

If you like it drink it. When I was researching strong rums in the islands I couldn't figure out what people liked about 160proof white rum, but if hundreds of thousands of people are drinking literally millions of liters of it, it can't be all bad.

I had enough to last me a long time after I opened the first bottle but then I haven't spent a lot of time in Brazil enjoying it the way it was meant to be enjoyed, on the beach with the proper scenery.

[Steve Klc]

Ed--your friend in Chicago probably sells so much because Chicago is a food-savvy town, latin cuisine is on the rise, Chicago foodies are up on all the "trends" and the drink probably has filtered down to even casual diners as a result of media exposure. I was in Trenton, NJ this weekend and my wife asked for a mojito--it was nice, sunny, we were out on a wooden deck--it just seemed the thing to ask for. (Not a beach, mind you, but close.) She's had one or two previously, at bars or nuevo latino restaurants. The server gave her a blank stare and had never even heard of the drink.

Things take time to trickle down. Pretty soon "Cachaca" will become a household word.

[Oceanairre]

Easiest recipe in the world (and most authentic from what I witnessed down there):

Fill a plastic pitcher with a generous handful of limes that have been quartered

Toss in a 1/2 - 1 full cup of turbinado sugar (light brown, raw variety)

Pound the limes into the sugar with a wooden spoon or mallet to distribute juices/pulp

Add about a quart of the cheap rum variant of your choice (light stuff)

Mix and pour over ice

All measurements above are individually varied to taste or intent

[CooksQuest]

A good Caipirinha trick with the limes is to:

1) cut out the center portion -- can be bitter; and

2) when pounding the limes, pound the flesh part -- not the skin.

If you pound the skin, too much of the bitter oils will be released.