Cachaça ( ; ) is a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice. Also known as pinga, caninha, and other names, it is the most popular spirit in Brazil, and the most popular cane spirit in the world (though almost entirely due to domestic consumption). Outside Brazil, cachaça is used almost exclusively as an ingredient in tropical drinks, with the caipirinha being the most famous and popular cocktail. In Brazil, caipirinha is often paired with the dish feijoada.

History

thumb|A cachaçaria in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Sugar production was mostly switched from the Madeira islands to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In Madeira, aguardente de cana is made by distilling fermented sugar cane juice into liquor, and the pot stills from Madeira were brought to Brazil to make what today is also called cachaça. The process dates from 1532, when one of the Portuguese colonists brought the first cuttings of sugar cane to Brazil from Madeira.

In the beginning of the 17th century, the producers of sugar from various European colonies in the Americas used the by-products of sugar, molasses, and scummings as the raw material for the production of alcoholic spirits. The resulting beverage was known by several names: in British colonies, it was named rum; in France, tafia; in Spain, aguardiente de caña; and in Portugal (Brazil), aguardente da terra, aguardente de cana and later cachaça (locals also call it "Pinga", which translates to drip). In response to this, in 1635, the king of Portugal banned production of the spirit, with restrictions reaffirmed and heavy taxation levied in 1659. and the following year, the government officially defined cachaça, caninha, and aguardente de cana. The United States recognized the Brazilian definition for cachaça in 2013. The main export markets of cachaça are the United States, France, Germany, and Paraguay.

Synonyms

For more than four centuries of history, cachaça has accumulated synonyms and creative nicknames coined by the Brazilian people. Some of these words were created for the purpose of deceiving the authorities in the days when cachaça was banned in Brazil. There are more than two thousand words to refer to the Brazilian national distillate.

Production

thumb|upright=0.8|[[Barrels of cachaça]]

The name "cachaça" is legally protected; it can only be produced in Brazil, where, according to 2007 figures, are consumed annually, compared with outside the country. In Brazil, there are regions where fine pot still cachaça is produced, such as Salinas in Minas Gerais state, Chã Grande in Pernambuco state, Paraty in Rio de Janeiro state, Monte Alegre do Sul in São Paulo, Luiz Alves in Santa Catarina state, and Abaíra in Bahia state. Nowadays, producers of cachaça can be found in most Brazilian regions, and in 2011, there were over 40,000 of them. Cachaça that is clear in color (whether aged or unaged) can be called (, "white" or prata, "silver") and aged cachaça that keeps its color can be called (amarela, "yellow" or ouro, "gold").

By far, the most produced cachaça is "industrial" cachaça, which is distilled on a continuous column still, and is far more neutral in flavor. Artisanal cachaça is produced on a pot still, and is associated with more flavor and a higher quality product.

  • Distillation: Cachaça can be distilled in either alembic pot stills or column stills. When it is distilled exclusively in an alembic pot still, it can be called cachaça de alambique.

Unlike some other rum geographical indications, Brazilian law does not specify a particular yeast strain to use for fermenting the sugarcane juice for cachaça, there are no restrictions on still type, size, configuration, or plates, and there is no maximum distillation ABV.

Comparison to rum

Cachaça is also known as Brazilian rum.

During barrel aging, the wood used can have a large impact on the flavor, and a unique characteristic of cachaça is the employment of native Brazilian trees, such as zebrawood and amburana. and Novo Fogo has moved to discontinue use of native Brazilian wood entirely for their aged cachaças.

In the United States, cachaça is recognized as a type of rum and distinctive Brazilian product, after an agreement was signed in 2013 with Brazil in which it will drop the usage of the term "Brazilian rum", This decision does mean that cachaça can be labeled as cachaça without also indicating that it is rum in the United States, similar to how cognac does not need to specify that it is a brandy and champagne does not need to specify that it is a wine, as long as it meets the US definition of rum (such as ABV being at least 40%).