Known as Brazil’s national spirit, cachaça is made from fresh sugarcane juice that is fermented and distilled. It’s best-known when mixed with sugar and lime to make a caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail. But cachaça can also create many other flavorful cocktails. With the Olympics underway in Rio de Janiero, here are nine options to impress guests as they watch the games.
Bar Rouge at the Kimpton Rouge Hotel in Washington is serving an Olympics-inspired cocktail created by bartender Naderia Wynn. Named “Stick It,” a term that refers to a successful landing in gymnastics, the drink is a mix of Novo Fogo cachaça with green tea, strawberry, lime, and orgeat syrup.
Nandini Khaund, bar manager at Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, created the “Reanimator.” The drink is made with Avuá Prata cachaça, lime, blueberry-ginger demerara, and activated charcoal.
The “Brigitte Bardot” is a cocktail from the Grand Hôtel du Louvre in Paris that is a mix of muddled kiwi, mint, and simple syrup mixed with Leblon cachaça, melon liqueur, and banana juice.
Rael Petit, mixologist at Lot 45 in New York, created the "Pinoy" with Avuá Prata cachaça, brown sugar banana syrup, rum, calamansi juice, and Angostura bitters.
The Leblon Breeze is a mix of Leblon cachaça, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice.
“Rio de Campeões” is a mix of Avuá Amburana cachaça, Banane du Bresil, Madeira, fresh banana, lime juice, and cane syrup. It is the creation of Benjamin Krick, bar manager at Juniper Tar in San Antonio.
Bartenders at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel created “Miami Spice,” a mix of muddled lime, chili pepper, and sugar mixed with Leblon cachaça, fresh passion fruit puree, and two drops of sriracha sauce.
“Flying Down to Rio,” created by bartender Natalie Jacob at the Archer in New Jersey, is a blend of Avuá Amburana cachaça, coconut cream, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and orange juice.
"Coconut Batida" is a blended beverage made with Leblon cachaça, cream of coconut, whole milk, simple syrup, and ice, topped with toasted coconut.
