About South American Spirits from Brazil

About South American Spirits from Brazil
The signature spirit of Brazil is cachaça (ca·sha·sa) which distilled from fresh sugarcane juice. There are two styles, unaged, which is bottled just after distillation, and aged, which is aged in American, Brazilian, or French oak barrels from three to twelve years; some of these aged versions are double distilled. The best examples of cachaça offer flavors of banana, powdered sugar, coconut and pepper; some have a more rustic, fuel-like character. While some cachaças are enjoyed on their own, most are used to mix in cocktails, in particular Brazil’s national cocktail, The Caipirinha (kie-purr-REEN-yah), which is simply cachaça, sugar, and muddled lime.

Top Picks for Brazil

South American Spirits

Pitú Vitoriosa Cachaca
96 points
$120
Balanced and complex with loads of barrel spice counterbalanced with a fresh crispness that is almost like drinking a perfect autumn evening.
Kachaca! Unaged Cachaca
93 points
$35
Very complex with bright green notes that will be a hit in appropriate cocktail applications.
Cachaça Bela Ouro Wood Aged Cachaça
93 points
$45
Barrel dominated flavors, but a cornucopia of sweet tropical spices that make for an awesome autumnal sipper.
Pitú Gold Cachaca
91 points
$24
Best Buy
Baked pastry notes that make this a great addition to your stirred cocktails or a float to your sours.
91 points $24 Best Buy
Nossa Amburana Wood-Aged Cachaca
88 points
$46
A lighter take on wood-aged Cachaça with all the typical flavors you'd expect from a Brazilian classic; will be great in a Caipirinha.