Guide Note

Cachaça is the most popular type of alcohol produced and consumed in Brazil. Compared to rum, cachaca is made from sugarcane juice while rum can be made, instead, with Molasses and is then aged.

Fast Facts

1. Made from sugarcane juice
2. Origin: Brazil
3. Main ingredient in a caipirinha cocktail
4. 1,500 million liters (396 million gallons) consumed each year in Brazil
5. Invented by Portuguese settlers around 1532
6. More than 4,000 brands available in Brazil

The two varieties of cachaca are aged (gold) and unaged (white). Unaged cachaca is bottled right after it is distilled and is less expensive. Dark cachaca is aged in wooden barrels and is drunk pure. Dark cachaca is considered the "premium" variety of the drink. Its taste also varies depending on the type of wood that is used to make the barrel in which the alcohol sits.

Cachaca is meant to be drunk in its pure form. It is often sipped from a small glass in order to savor its flavor. However, cachaca can also be taken as a shot. While many claim to enjoy the taste of the alcohol, it it also considered to have a pungent odor to it.