This article is timely – a celebration of the national drink of Brazil as the grand finale of Rio’s famed Carnival occurs. Cachaca isn’t well known in the United States but it is famed in its native Brazil, where the average citizen consumes almost two gallons a year for a nationwide total that exceeds 350 Million gallons per year. These impressive numbers make cachaca the third most consumed liquor in the world, behind vodka and soju.

Cachaca is a raw sugar can brandy and is often confused with or considered to be rum. We can guarantee you that it is not! Rather, raw sugar cane is distilled in a fashion similar to the distillation of brandy. No one knows for sure when cachaca was first fashioned but it is believed that its roots go back to the 1500’s to the slave and sugar culture of Brazil. Regardless of how cachaca got its start, it’s certainly here to stay and growing in popularity as Brazil recently began exporting this popular national symbol.

When we think of cachaca, we think of its variety. There are thousands of distillers across Brazil and each distiller has its own formula. There are small distillers in towns and villages across Brazil who produce cachaca that is similar to moonshine. These small distillers often supply their own use and those close to them, sometimes selling it to those lucky travelers who chance upon them or those in the know. There are artisan distillers that remind me of the famed whisky makers of Scotland. They pride themselves on the unique taste and characteristics of their product. These distillers age the cachaca in a variety of woods, some unique to Brazil and some not, that impart unique color, smell and taste to the cachaca. These bottles are meant to be sipped like a fine Scotch and are also priced like fine Scotch – some selling in their native Brazil for over $400 per bottle. Finally, there are distillers who distill and bottle according to age-old traditions. These distillers take the cachaca straight from the still and bottle it. It’s this cachaca that I think of often when I want to whip up a caipirinha.

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Image by -Mandie- via Flickr

We at Drink of the Week wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you readership and thankful that we make your day a little brighter.

Cheers!

The DOTW Team

As always we like to share a few links that expand on how many Thanksgiving traditions got started. Of course, this is peppered with some fun Thanksgiving recipes.

Enjoy a potpourri of Thanksgiving links:

First, Mental Floss gives us a detailed look at many Thanksgiving Traditions.

- Manly Ways to Prepare Turkey
- Why do the Lions & Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving?
- The (Somewhat Dark) History of Presidential Turkey Pardoning
- A Brief History of Black Friday

Boozy Pumpkin Desserts
The History of Thanksgiving - The History Channel
Thanksgiving Toast
How to use Social Media to Find Deals this Holiday Season - Mashable

Related articles:

• Cooking With Booze: Thanksgiving Edition
• Grateful Cranberry Cocktail

This fall Pernod-Ricard has partnered with the Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) to bring the world an online version of their Bar Smarts bartender training, education and certification program.

Bar Smarts Wired takes one through 4 modules covering distillation, the spirits, mixology basics and practical applications of mixology. The $45 course is an amazing deal. You get a top notch mixology program, complete with pdfs for easy reading and entertaining videos featuring the likes of Dan Wondrich and Dale de Groff. The also student receives a very nice & complete set of bartools (pictured) and a bag to carry it all. Of course, Bar Smarts is not all fun, you need to pass 5 tests to graduate.

So if you got the itch to take an adventure in mixology, this is it.

Learn more and register:
Bar Smarts Wired

Oh, water with bubbles, you have so many names: club soda, tonic water, sparkling water, mineral water … and more.

The Kitchn blog details the differences between each, when it matters which you use and when it doesn’t.

A question that’s probably plagued many home bartenders:

…What’s the difference between tonic water, mineral water, seltzer, carbonated water, and club soda? They all seem like fizzy water alternatives, and they may be identical. But could I, say, make one of those exquisitely refreshing-looking gin and tonics with the mineral water that I keep stashed in the fridge?

A good rule of thumb is that tonic water is good for mixing with just liquor because of its mineral flavor (think gin and tonic, vodka tonic), while its less-mineral-tasting cousin club soda is good for topping of sparkling cocktails that include other mixers and/or muddled elements (think Tom Collins, mojito).

Fizzy Waters - What’s the Difference? @ The Kitchn (via Liqurious)

Q: Marlene writes, “how many ounces are in a 1/5th bottle of vodka?”

A: First let’s use a 1 oz. shot for this exercise. Next, what exactly is a 1/5? It is an old measurement for a bottle of booze. It refers to the fact that the bottles were 1/5 of a gallon. These days most bottles are 750 ml, which is close to 1/5 of a gallon. A gallon contains 128 fluid ounces. So a fifth (1/5) or 750ml contains a tad more than 25 oz, or 25 one ounce shots. Of course many use 1 1/2 ounce for a standard shot which is around 16 shots.

Bar Measurement Chart

The theme for Mixology Monday this month is 19th Century Cocktails. Living in San Francisco, naturally I was drawn to Pisco Punch. This famous cocktail came to be due to the large amount of Pisco available after the Gold Rush.

What is Pisco? It is a grape brandy from Peru. Just like French brandies, varieties range from rot gut to super premium. The main difference is that Pisco is aged, but not in barrels, rather ceramic or metal. The resulting spirit is clear.

So with all this potent Pisco around it became quite popular in San Francisco. This prompted owner, Duncan Nicol, of the Bank Exchange to create Pisco Punch a mix Pisco, pineapple juice, lime juice, simple syrup and Gum Arabic, and ingredient that helps it fizz. Unfortunately, the original recipe went to the grave with Ducan and Prohibition closed the bar. So there are several variations of the recipe as bartenders try to recreate the original.

This recipe comes to us from the makers of Inca Gold Pisco. I had the pleasure to meet the proprietor, who schooled me on the history of Pisco and Pisco Punch. In fact, he believes that San Francisco should make Pisco Punch our civic cocktail. With so many cocktails, like the Martini, I am staying out of politics.

Pisco Punch

3 parts Premium Pisco
2 parts pineapple juice
1 part lime juice
1 part simple syrup
3-4 drops Gum Arabic

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a shaker with ice. Pour into a punch or tall glass and garnish with pineapple.

For a party, make a batch in a large punch bowl. Just use the same proportions.

Mixology Monday XXXI

Looking for Gum Arabic? This gum syrup from Small Hand Foods does the trick.

Ever have trouble getting a drink in a busy bar? If you look like me, the answer is yes. Good for us average folks, the guys at Ayslum.com have collected some helpful tips on getting and keeping a bartenders attention. Hating thirst, I have tested all of these, and they do work. So learn them, live them.

Here’s our favorites:

- Know what you want. Important in any bartender interaction, even is the bar is empty.
- Send the most attractive person at your table to get the drinks.
- Be confident
- When you do get your order, leave a decent, if not, large tip. Yes, Always.

Read more:
Get a Bartender’s Attention and Keep the Drinks Flowing - Asylum