musekatcher Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Looking to add a bottle of Cachaca to my bar for the occasional Caipirinha. Any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 For a Caipirinha a basic white is probably adequate. Lots of sugar in the drink that make putting anything other than a decent but basic white cachaça pretty unnecessary for me. Most stores seem to carry some cachaça made exclusively for the export market like Avua and Novo Fogo. Those seem adequate to me although not sure they are any better than any other brand. Large scale "industrial" cachaça's like Pitu, Ypioca, Velho, Cachaça 61 and Leblon are pretty common as well. We get very little in the US of what is made in Brazil, especially unique aged stuff. I have tried a few of the "artisanal" versions made in smaller pot stills from places like Minas Gerais and aged for more than a couple of years like Germana and have a 9 year old Novo Fogo aged in some sort of American oak (details not clear) but I really haven't found it to be a spirit I would drink on a regular base like I do with a good rum. It doesn't seem to have really caught on here in the US either. I don't pay much attention to it any more as a result unless I have some reason to want to make a Caipirinha. And that hasn't happened very often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 (edited) Not sure where to post this, but this seems like an appropriate thread to hijack. A bartender offered me a taste of the Avuá Amburana the other day, saying that it was a favorite of hers. We had a long conversation about rum & beyond and she was very knowledgeable on the subject, so I felt like I could trust her tastes. What do you guys think about it? This was my first cachaça, and it didn't taste anything like a rum or even agricole to me. Is it representative of the category? If so, I am intrigued. Edit: Just saw that Ralfy reviewed it and gave it a 88. Edited December 8, 2017 by Kane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted December 9, 2017 Share Posted December 9, 2017 Echoing what BOTY2017 said, when I went looking (under instructions to get a "real" cachaça), most of what I found that was "Made in Brazil" also declared it was "For Export Only" which to me means "Made for USA tastes". The one I settled on was an 80 proof Velho Barreiro. Neat at room temp, it reminds me, slightly, of a piece of fermented sugar cane I was given once to suck on while we waited for potable water to arrive. Bacardi white rum it is NOT. This was not a surprise to me because cachaça is made from fresh, fermented sugar cane juice while rum is made from the juice of boiled canes. It worked for the one round of Caipirinhas I made, but now I have this 3/4+ full liter bottle . . . AND, it is really sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarSurfer55 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I agree with the previous recommendations. If all you want to do it make a Caipirinha then Ypioca is an acceptable choice and fairly common. My local shop also carries LeBlon and I prefer it. The artisanal types of Cachaca are not usually available in the export markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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