What’s the Best Cachaça for a Caipirinha?
Much like rhum agricole from the French West Indies, Brazil’s national drink is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice, but it’s not called rum, it’s called cachaça (ka-SHAH-sa).
Here in the United States, cachaça has mostly been used to make Brazil’s most famous drink: the caipirinha, but open-minded bartenders are beginning to see beyond the caipirinha. These folks are embracing cachaça’s unique flavor profile and finding ways to incorporate this versatile spirit into a variety uniquely pleasing cocktail creations.
Bartender innovation notwithstanding, I still get a lot of folks who ask me “what’s the best cachaça for a caipirinha?” and until recently, I could only recommend a few brands. Seeking to expand my knowledge of sugar cane spirits from Brazil led me to our latest in the spirit challenge series, in which we blind taste every bottle we can acquire in a category and determine which tastes best.
So without further ado, let’s take the Cachaça Challenge!
Inu A Kena 
Cacharioca By Salinas-MG
Article begins with the question: “What’s the Best Cachaça for a Caipirinha?” then links to an article about “What is the best Cachaca?” These are completely different questions with completely different answers. For my taste, I prefer Caipirinhas made with the lower priced cachacas like Pitu and 51.
Thank you
Hey Charles, I get it—everyone has their favorites! But life’s too short not to treat yourself to something truly special every now and then.
I’ve tried a lot of cachaças, but Conde do Sul from Brazil is hands down the best! It’s a small-batch, handmade cachaça from Rio Grande do Sul, and they’ve even won the Grand Gold Medal from Brussels (which is a huge deal for spirits). What really blew me away is that they age their cachaça in these super rare wood barrels, and the flavor is just unreal. I have tried all of their 4 flavors (100% natural). If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re seriously missing out!