Cachaça

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Name Variations

 * cachaca
 * pinga

About Cachaça
Wikipedia Article About Cachaça on Wikipedia

Cachaça (pronounced ka SHA sa, IPA: /ˌkaˈʃasɐ/) (also called pinga, branquinha, maldita, caninha, caxaca, caxa, aguardente, cana or chacha) is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil, made from sugarcane juice (also called garapa). The legal definition of cachaça says "cachaça is the product of the distillation of the fermented sugarcane juice, with alcohol strength between 38% and 51% by volume. Up to 6 gr per liter of sugar can be added".

Cachaça is often said to differ from rum in that it made from sugarcane juice while rum is made from molasses. However, a number of rum distillers use sugarcane juice instead of molasses to make their rums.

Cachaça is the 4th most distilled spirit of the world with 1.3 billion liters produced each year (Vodka, Rum, Soju, Cachaca). Only 1.5% of this production is exported (mainly to Portugal, Paraguay and Germany). Outside Brazil, cachaça is used almost exclusively as an ingredient in tropical drinks, with the caipirinha being the most famous cocktail.