Catch On to Cachaca

Annika Mengisen

	A Sip of Brazil

We all felt like trendy jet-setters ordering up mojitos at bars from Miami to London last year, but now it's 2007 and that mint-green trend is so last year -- as taboo as drinking a cosmo at a salsa club.

I had never heard of a caipirinha when offered it by Brazilian friend last year. If you expressed such ignorance today, you would get the same incredulous stares my friend gave me a year ago.

This is the era of the caipirinha -- Brazil's national concoction, for those of you not already in the know. Its main ingredient -- cachaca -- has been dubbed the new girl from Ipanema, sashaying onto the U.S. scene and captivating connoisseurs as she goes.

Your ever-savvy TheStreet.com reporter was sipping one just the other day and lamenting that the U.S. took so long to catch up with the rest of the world, where cachaca, a rum-like drink, is the third most popularly consumed spirit, just after vodka and soju (a Korean liquor).

Increasingly, fans the world over are saying obrigado ("thank you") to a small but growing number of companies that are bringing cachaca, once associated with a rustic spirit and hangover nightmares, to top-shelf cocktails.

Colonial Ties

Cachaca, the national spirit of Brazil, has taken many roles, perhaps contributing to its mass appeal.

Cachaca first took off in Brazil in the 1500s, when plantation owners noticed the increased vigor of their workers after consuming a fermented sugar juice; they began serving it to workers, allegedly to increase morale.

It enjoyed a golden age among the upper-crust Portuguese when finely distilled cachacas were served at dinner tables in colonial Brazil.

But soon after, in the late 1800s, heavy taxing forced the drink underground once more, and it lost favor with Brazil's elite.

The Birth of Beleza Pura

In the past decade, however, high-quality cachacas have seen a resurgence in Brazil.

Adventurers like Olie Berlic, CEO of Excalibur Enterprise, are reviving this symbol of Brazilian identity by bringing the best to the U.S.

Berlic's journey began in 2001, when he left the U.S. to brave the wilds of Brazil. A sommelier in top U.S. restaurants, he was searching for a portfolio of Brazilian wine but didn't find anything exceptional.

"That's when I started to seriously consider the spirit of Brazil," says Berlic. He devoted himself to a rigorous three-year testing process, tasting about 800 cachacas, analyzing their clarity, color and especially that telltale burn on the palate.

"Lower-quality spirits will actually burn the center of your tongue," explains Berlic, who says the sweetness coating the burn is the sugar added to mask the imperfections of low-quality spirits -- typical of price-driven products, which often speed the fermentation of the cane juice with chemicals.

"When we launched our portfolio, it was all about quality," Berlic notes, who explained that prior to Excalibur, cachaca in the U.S. was produced by very large Brazilian producers whose main concern was price.

Cachaca's story is very similar to tequila's: "25 years ago, people in the U.S. started learning about quality tequilas," Berlic points out. "Prior to that, everyone [just] remembered those ... hangovers and tequila's bad reputation."

To view Annika Mengisen's video take of today's Good Life segment, click here.

Berlic used the tequila model when he created his flagship product, Beleza Pura, which means "pure beauty," in 2004.

Like rum, cachaca comes from the sugar cane plant, but while rum is made from molasses, cachaca is reduced from fresh sugar cane juice. According to Brazilian law, it has to be made in Brazil to be called as such.

For Beleza Pura, Berlic uses the best hand-cut sugar cane and a column distillation process that doesn't strip the product. "We wanted a pure product, but not vodka," says Berlic.

Cachaca is a spirit that has been virtually untouched in the U.S., but as the popularity of the caipirinha grows, cachaca awareness is making domestic sales finally rival the rest of the world's -- Europe alone imports almost half a million cases a year, says Berlic.

Not Created Equal

Perhaps the most important lesson Berlic has learned is that not all cachacas are created equal. To please even the most discerning liquor connoisseurs, Berlic had to find the best.

In what Berlic described as a labor of love, he created Beleza Pura, which is known for its long, clean finish and "clear morning after."

In addition, he carefully selected three producers of aged handcrafted artisan cachacas to add to his sales line, each from a different area of Brazil, which utilized different production methods and flavor profiles.

"These are just amazing spirits," says Berlic.

Cachaca Rochinha from Rio de Janeiro, GRM Cachaca from Minas Gerias and Armazem Viera Cachaca from Santa Catarina Island round out Berlic's unrivaled portfolio.

These award-winning handmade cachacas are aged from four to 16 years in single to triple barrels, and their piquant profiles range from raspberry to scotch to vanilla-caramel. Prices range from $70 for the GRM to about $80 for a 12-year aged bottle of Rochinha. Check online for retailers, or try a high-end restaurant near you.

Tale of Two Countries

Leblon's natural cane cachacas also come from Brazil but have a touch of France.

This producer takes a winemaker's approach to cachaca -- it is single-distilled in Brazil and sent to France to rest in vintage cognac casks for one to six months, says Steve Luttmann, Leblon's president and founder.

"We are definitely breaking the paradigm of what cachaca is," says Luttmann. "Purists might be afraid of change and see cachaca for its peasant past, but others see the potential of cachaca to be as good as any scotch.

"There's no question this is the year of the caipirinha," he says. Contact Leblon to purchase ($30 a bottle).

The Caipirnha Craze

Cosmos, eat your heart out! As the cachaca trend continues to gather steam, Manhattan's hippest go for pepper-basil caipirinhas at the downtown Devin Tavern.

Owner John Mautone uses only Excalibur's Beleza Pura (un-aged, for optimal mixing) for his pepper-basil caipirinhas, which include fresh basil, mint and peppercorns in addition to the limes, sugar cane and cachaca of a classic caipirinha.

"It's about fresh, clean flavors," says Mautone.

When I tried the drink, I could smell the tantalizing basil and mint even before I raised the glass to my lips. "Women who would never try a cocktail have one of these and enjoy it," says Mautone. "It's a sexy cocktail."

Even his most discerning customers -- Brazilians -- approve of the Beleza Pura caipirinha as a representative of the Brazilian spirit.

Our own Jim Cramer frequents Devin Tavern, Mautone reveals. Although he wouldn't disclose Cramer's libation of choice, I have no doubt the caipirinha could be among his top picks.

Saude (cheers)!

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