Alright, so I’ve actually long been a fan of Cachaca pronounced ‘help me I’m so white’. However since I have really only had less than a handful of brands I didn’t feel it was right to review it you without trying enough to establish a baseline. It’s time however to look into this Brazilian spirit, which you’ll likely find sequestered away in the outskirts of your rum section.
For those unaware Cachaca is Brazilian, and made from sugarcane juice. The difference is that most rums are actually made from molasses which is actually a byproduct in sugar production. This makes it cheaper, however Cachaca comes from fresh sugar cane. In fact it was just called Brazilian rum until 2013 until an agreement was signed to use it’s ‘true’ name.
What they Say: “Pitu – It’s a bit of Brazil. Brazil’s famous Pitu Cachaca is an authentic Brazilian spirit, perfect in all fruit drinks, especially the world famous Caipirinha.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 lime
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 1/2 ounce (45ml) Pitu Cachaca Rum
- Crushed Ice
METHOD:
Cut one half of a lime in quarters and place in an old fashioned glass. Muddle lime and sugar with a muddler or a spoon. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add 1 1/2 oz. of Pitu. Put contents in a shaker, shake well, return contents to glass and serve.”
Taste: 6.0 – It’s nice and sweet at first.
Aftertaste: 4.5 – So the aftertaste comes in 2-stages, the first being tied to burn which is awful. The lingering aftertaste though reminds you of that aroma which is nice.
Burn/Smooth: 4.0 – Okay yes this does burn, not a tequila burn – more like a rum burn from a rum with less sugar in it.
Aroma: 6.0 – That smells delicious, I just want to throw a lime in there. For those wondering – imagine instead of a more sweet white rum – think tart.
Honesty: 4.0 – The name, and the fact that’s it’s Brazilian really only makes you seem ‘true’ if the way you acquired this spirit was because your ‘girlfriend of boyfriend from Brazil’ bought it, and then dumped you for being white trash. Since that’s most likely not true you end up with a spirit for bar hipsters that you can’t pronounce or explain. Also the crayfish is just kinda weird, and recipes on bottles always equals minus points.
Mixability: 5.0
W/ Rocks: 3.0 – I don’t know if this recommended or not, but don’t do this here.
Caipirinha: 7.0 – Oh man, I realize this is the hipster talking, but damn that’s a fine cocktail. Again we hate recipes on the bottle, but it’s there because this is what you do with it.
Value: 7.0 – It’s actually on the cheap end, and considering it makes a good Caipirinha – that’s all you need.
Google Shop Average: $13
Website: http://www.pituusa.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.0
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 36.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.21 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.0
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: I’m glad that we get to add this spirit to HBR as it’s sadly a little overlooked, but for no reason really aside from some marketing. I mean it’s something akin to a rum and tequila and works very well in tropical drinks – so you’d think it be big considering our American love affairs with putting booze and citrus into concoctions with no rhyme or reason. My sincere hope is that much like absinthe the drink finds a foothold in cocktail bars and becomes fully accepted – if only to make it easier to try new brands.
