3rd BASE

[SANDRO43]

Caipirinha (cachaça-based) - Caipiroska (vodka-based variant)

A caipirinha is made with cachaça, not rum, yet the two distillates are very similar.

Also known as aguardente, pinga, caninha, abre-coração (heart-opener), água-benta (holy water), bafo-de-tigre (tiger breath), limpa-olho (eye-wash), etc- etc.

The major difference between cachaça and rum is that rum is usually made from molasses, a by-product from refineries that boil the cane juice to extract as much sugar crystal as possible, while cachaça is made from fresh sugarcane juice that is fermented and distilled....Sugar production was mostly switched from Madeira Island to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 16th century. In Madeira Aguardente de cana is made by distilling sugar cane. The pot stills that make Aguardente de cana in Madeira were brought to Brazil to make what today is also called Cachaça.The distillation process dates back to 1532, when one of the Portuguese colonisers brought the first cuttings of sugar cane over to Brazil from Madeira.

Apart from the simpler process and hence harsher flavour, what distinguishes cachaça from rum is its much lower price - a Brazilian colleague of mine contemptuously called it hobos' rum .

[Muzh]

Caipirinha (cachaça-based) - Caipiroska (vodka-based variant)

Also known as aguardente, pinga, caninha, abre-coração (heart-opener), água-benta (holy water), bafo-de-tigre (tiger breath), limpa-olho (eye-wash), etc- etc.Apart from the simpler process and hence harsher flavour, what distinguishes cachaça from rum is its much lower price - a Brazilian colleague of mine contemptuously called it hobos' rum .

Pinga also means gentleman's sausage.