Cachaca is a Brazilian distilled spirit made from fermented fresh sugarcane juice, distinguishing it from rum, which is generally distilled from molasses, a byproduct of sugar refining rather than the fresh cane juice itself. It developed in Brazil during the colonial sugar plantation era beginning in the sixteenth century and has since become deeply tied to Brazilian national identity, produced both industrially and, in a prized artisanal category, on small traditional farms using pot stills. Cachaca is the base spirit of the caipirinha, Brazils best known cocktail, made by muddling cachaca with lime and sugar, and Brazilian law reserves the name cachaca for spirits produced in Brazil.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin Period, From (Year)1532 is the date the source gives for the first sugar cane cuttings reaching Brazil, which began the sugar process; it is not a dated first distillation of cachaca, whose exact start is unknown. Origin Region Connections
Expresses Tradition
Uses Ingredient
Sources
1. Cachaça, Wikipedia
History section, sentence on 1532
The process dates from 1532, when one of the Portuguese colonists brought the first cuttings of sugar cane to Brazil from Madeira.
History section, sentence on sugar production
Sugar production was mostly switched from the Madeira islands to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
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