Cachaça

Cachaça is a Brazilian alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting and distilling vesou, the juice of sugarcane.

This drink, similar to rum, is often used as the base ingredient for the caipirinha cocktail. Unlike rum, which is made from heated vesou, cachaça is produced from fresh sugarcane juice mixed with roasted cereals such as wheat or rice, as well as yeast. Although this practice has been prohibited since 2003, it persists due to rare controls. Depending on whether the sugarcane juice is cooked or not, two distillates with different chemical compositions are produced, which affects the taste of the final drink. Substances such as esters and aldehydes present in sugarcane must are altered during the cooking process for rum production, but not for cachaça.

The two alcohols have different flavors, with cachaça known for its sweet taste with a hint of wax and a roasted aroma.