Cachaca – The New (Old) Rum

For the last several years, rum has been one of the fastest growing categories of liquor, so it should come as no surprise a number of variations of Rum have been introduced lately. We’ve seen similar things happen with Vodka, of course, but the latest Rum fad really isn’t all that new.

Cachaca is a Brazilian style of Rum that is made from sugar cane instead of molasses. It tastes a bit like a cross between high-quality white rum and tequila, and can be substituted for either. Cachaca has been around for decades in Brazil, but it has only started to become popular in North America and Europe in the last few years.

The most famous drink made with Cachaca is the Caipirinha – a drink that is very similar to a Margarita. The drink is simple to make (See How to make a Caipirinha), and is deceptively strong due to the smooth drinkability of Cachaca.

While a Caipirinha is a delicious drink, I found that using key limes in place of the regular lime wedges made it even better. If you can’t find key limes, then use the smallest limes you can find.

The best Caipirinha uses fresh fruit rather than just bottled lime juice. This allows the drinker to use his or her cocktail straw to continue to muddle the lime wedges as he or she drinks – releasing more lime essence into the drink and dissolving the sugar.