Cachaca was first developed by the first Portuguese settlers in Brazil, in the region around the town of Sao Vicente between 1532 and 1548. Workers at local sugar mills discovered that the sugarcane juice called garapa when cooked and left standing would ferment and turn into a mild alcoholic beverage. This raw product named cagaca, was mostly drunk by slaves since it was a cheap substitute for the Indian cauim. Later on, this raw material was distilled and cachaca was developed.
Distilleries used to make Cachaca grew rapidly through colonial Brazil during the 16th and 17th centuries. When Portugal realized this was happening, they took measures to outlaw the new spirit in order to protect the market for Portuguese-made grappa (bagaceira). In 1756, after failing for a century to outlaw it, the Portuguese Crown gave up and then started to tax cachaca. This tax brought a lot of revenue to the Treasury, and contributed to the reconstruction of their capital city Lisbon, which had been just devastated by an earthquake followed by a tsunami in 1755.
Today, there are more than 4,000 different brands of cachaca in Brazil. At the beginning it was consumed mainly by Africans, peasants, and members of the lower class. Most of the tiime, elitists considered it a low drink and was therefore unfit for exclusivist bars and clubs. On the contrary, the finer cachaca gained wider and wider appreciation and support, and it is today a very popular drink, considered to be as famous as whiskey and wine. The most important brands are made in Sao Paulo, Ceará, Pernambuco, and Minas Gerais. Brazil and producer associations have recently acted to promote the export cachaca.
Two billion liters of the beverage are produced every year in Brazil, and 99% of that stays in Brazil which is about 11 liters per habitant per year. Estimates show that there are more than 5,000 brands of cachaca in Brazil. Soon the best quality cachaca will compete with the finest whiskies and cognacs. Exports have steadily risen over the past few years. There are more than 30,000 producers in Brazil and the majority are small artisan distilleries.
How to drink cachaca
The traditional way of drinking cachaca is to sip it gently in very small glasses. The best way to taste Cachaca is slowly and let the drink stay inside the mouth so as to feel its aftertaste.
Another way to drink cachaca is to pour it inside a short and slim glass called martelinho, "little hammer", and then drink in one shot. Sometimes lime juice is added to the cachaca and brown sugar cake, rapadura, are eaten between glasses.
But the most commonly way of drinking Cachaca is by caipirinha, "little country girl", which is a very popular cocktail from Brazil which contains lime, ice, and sugar. Most of the time they are simply served on ice but they can also be served frozen much the same as margaritas.
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David Richards is a long time spirit enthusiast. He has a site called Products from Spain.net where different of beverages are offered.
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