Cachaça
Cachaça is Brazil's national spirit, distilled directly from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses, which gives it a grassier, more vegetal edge than rum. Most is unaged and bottled clear, though aged versions exist. It carries a distinct funky sweetness unmistakably different from Caribbean rum.
Common uses
- base spirit for muddled citrus cocktails
- traditional in Brazilian-style drinks
Buying & storage
Keeps more or less indefinitely: Alcohol is preserving it. An open bottle keeps for a very long time, though aromatics do fade slowly.
Buying: choose unaged 'prata' style for classic mixed drinks; aged 'envelhecida' versions suit sipping better
Storage: keeps indefinitely, store upright away from light
In depth
Understanding cachaça
How it is made, where it comes from, what it pairs with, and how it behaves in an alcohol-free drink.
Origin
Brazil's national spirit, distilled from fresh sugarcane juice since the 16th century.
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
Stand-in
Where cachaça is a recommended substitute
Recipes that name it as a swap for something else, with what it replaces.
- Mojitoin place of white rum
Swap it
Possible substitutions
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