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Cachaça
A bit of History
Making cachaça
The sugar cane
Fermentation
Distillation
Aging
A note on the difference between cachaça and rum
A Colourful Product
The Caipirinha
Caipirinha Recipe
On the Author:
Cachaça
(ka–shah’–sa)
Cachaça is the national spirit of Brazil, enjoyed by all segments of Brazilian society and praised by the most demanding connoisseurs of distilled beverages. Cachaça is also known as aguardente de cana and, in the best Brazilian tradition, by hundreds of nicknames such as aguardente, pinga, paraty, parati, abrideira, aninha, água benta, água que passarinho não bebe, assovio de cobra, baronesa, birita, branquinha, brasa, brasileira, cana, caninha, danada, engasga-gato, fogo, imaculada, jeribita, jiribita, jurubita, geribita, giribita, geriba, lindinha, mata bicho, meu consolo, perigosa, purinha, remédio, sete virtudes, suor de alambique, tira teima, veneno.
Cachaça is a sugar cane spirit, defined by Brazilian legislation as the alcoholic beverage obtained by distillation of fermented sugar cane juice, with alcoholic strength between 38 and 54 percent by volume.
Its history starts about 500 years ago, and there are nowadays over 4,000 brands made throughout Brazil in large and small distilleries. Production of 1.3 billion liters a year places cachaça among the five most consumed spirits in the world, with a diversity going from white cachaças to all shades of golden aged cachaças, from big industrial producers to small back-yard producers.
Until recently, almost all production has been for the Brazilian market, but during the last decade cachaça has also gained popularity on an international level. The product is exported to the UK, United States, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, and several other countries. Exports in 1994 totalled $3.5 million, surpassing exports in 1992 by 33%. Since the government began an aggressive export campaign several years ago exports have grown have grown more than 82 percent. Nonetheless current exports represent less then 1% of the total production.
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A bit of History
According to one of many picturesque stories, it all started in the 16th century, when a slave drank the foam of fermented sugar-cane juice - the cagaça. In fact the word cachaça seems to come from the Spanish cachaza, a term used in the Iberian Peninsula as a perjorative term for grape brandies, such as the Portuguese ‘bagaceira’.
In the 16th century Portuguese settlers brought sugar cane cuttings from Madeira and began the cultivation of sugar cane in Brazil. They also brought their pot stills, giving birth to cachaça. Its importance grew rapidly and by the 17th century cachaça was used as currency for the purchase of slaves from Africa.
The production of cachaça started in the old ‘engenhos de açúcar’, the big sugar cane plantations. These were located in the states of Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The first ‘engenho’ was built in Santos, in the state of São Paulo. In the state of Rio de Janeiro the Portuguese from the Azores established sugar cane farms in the Baia da Ilha Grande, the beautiful bay that goes from Mangaratiba to Paraty. In 1640 Paraty was already exporting cachaça.
In the 18th century, consumption of cachaça posed a threat to the trade of Portuguese wine and brandy. Portugal tried, unsuccessfully, to prohibit its production, then decided to tax it. These taxes were the main source of funds for the rebuilding of Lisbon, battered by the 1755 earthquake. Cachaça production continued but in the 20th century cachaça in Brazil became less fashionable than imported drinks. While still a staple in rural areas and small bars, it was only permitted to sneak onto the sophisticated dining table as a complement to feijoada - a popular dish eaten on Saturdays. Even then, it was typically served in cocktails rather than taken neat.
Immune to the vagaries of fashion however, cachaça producers thoughout Brazil preserved this traditional artisanal spirit over the centuries. The last twenty years in particular have seen significant developments in the production of high quality cachaças and their re-introduction into the sophisticated mainstream in Brazil. Many specialty stores stock a great variety of cachaças from small local producers as well as the national brands.
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Making cachaça
There are basically two kinds of cachaça manufacturers: the ‘traditional’ ones, who are typically small producers using pot stills, and the large ‘industrial’ ones, who employ column distillation. This distinction however is not absolute as the best industrial producers preserve traditions of care and craftsmanship in quality controlled mass production of cachaça in the major sugar cane growing regions.
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The sugar cane
In Brazil the making of cachaça is a combination of tradition and modern technology. New species of sugar cane have been developed which are easier to harvest and resistant to parasites so that no pesticides are required. In fact the cachaça industry is a model of ecologically sound practice.
Cachaça is made from pure juice of sugar cane, and not from by-products such as refined sugar or molasses. Ideally the fermentation process begins immediately after the cane is cut. For this reason and also because of their historical origins, distilleries are often located on sugar cane farms.
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Fermentation
One of the differences between the traditional and industrial distillers appears at the fermentation stage. The industrial producers use ready made yeasts. The traditional producers use proprietary leavening agents, typically containing corn flour, as media for the growth of the yeasts which occur naturally in the sugar cane itself. These yeasts then become the prime fermentation agents.
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Distillation
One of the unique characteristics of cachaças is that many are distilled very slowly until the final alcoholic degree is reached, rather than distilled to higher strength and later reduced by the addition of water. By law in Brazil, cachaça must have alcohol by volume in the range from 38% to 54%.
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Aging
Cachaça can be bottled direct from the still. In this case, if there is no caramel added, it will be white. Most good cachaças are aged at least briefly in native wood. The aged products acquire a wide palate of colours, according to the type of wood used and the length of aging. Nowadays cachaça is being aged in many different native woods (amburana, angelim, amendoim, bálsamo, jequitibá, jatobá, ipê) and also in small oak barrels.
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A note on the difference between cachaça and rum:
Cachaça and rum are quite distinct in taste and nose, in spite of their common origins in sugar cane. The presence of even minute quantities of corn flour in the yeast starter which traditional cachaças employ disqualifies them as rums according to most international specifications. Most industrial products typically do qualify for this category even though they maintain the organoleptic characteristics of traditional cachaça. While cachaças typically appeal to those who appreciate fine rums, there is no question that, in spite of their similarities, cachaça and rum are two distinct spirit categories. The Brazilian Government has recently taken action to ensure that the word cachaça may only be used for spirits produced in Brazil according to strict specifications.
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A Colourful Product
Traditionally both cachaça brand names and labels are very colourful. Names like ‘Blessing’, ‘My Goddess’, ‘Appetizing’, ‘White Wings’, ‘Hummingbird’, ‘Good View’, ‘Silver Earrings’, ‘Little Devil’, ‘Full Moon’, ‘Queen of the Valley’, and many others that describe geographical places, animals, fashion and romance are common. Others describe the cachaça itself, its characteristics and those of its production and region. Most cachaça labels are visually striking, full of colours, and often featuring old style designs. A variety of cachaça labels can be viewed at www.folderpark.net/cachaca/.
Cachaça is an extremely versatile spirit. It can be drunk neat or in cocktails, the most famous of which is the caipirinha. Made with cachaça, lime juice, sugar and ice, the caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil. Every day there are more bars and restaurants serving cachaça, especially caipirinhas, which have recently become one of the main stream cocktails in North America and Europe. Cachaça is steadly increasing its recognition worldwide as a sophisticated spirit.
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The Caipirinha
The national drink of Brazil, simple and fragrant, the caipirinha is a delight in every way. Taken literally caipirinha appears to be derived from the word caipira, which means an unsophisticated person from the country. Given the Brazilian way with words it is also possible that the caipirinha got its name from being a simple straightforward drink.
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Caipirinha Recipe
Ingredients:
1 shot of cachaça
1/2 lime
1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar
ice cubes or crushed ice
Crush the lime and sugar with a wooden pestle. Add cachaça and ice to taste and stir well. Alternatively mix the juice of a half lime with the sugar, add ice and decorate with lime rounds.
Advinhação – ‘o que é que pode mais que Deus ? É a cachaça, porque Deus dá juizo e a cachaça tira.’
© Cascon & Shadwick 2001
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On the Author:
Ana Cascon is a Brazilian who is passionate about all things Brazilian. She was the first to introduce cachaça to the Canadian market, and knows the subject from the inside. Her personal contacts with cachaça distillers in Brazil, her knowledge of local habits and usages and her painstaking study of the mechanics of the process give a broad insight into the subject.
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