Jan16

Solid Cachaça

Cilician Voyage

I can’t get over it. This stuff smells so damn good. Boca Loca Cachaça’s aroma is earthy and vegetal with loads of caramel. A tip to the tongue reveals not a firey spirit, but one smooth and extremely drinkable. I’m almost a little disappointed at this, wishing that more of Boca Loca’s funky aromas came through when imbibed, but not that disappointed, as I can’t stop picking up my glass to take sip after sip.

There is surely a plethora of information out there about cachaça, so I’m just going to dive into the drinks, but before I created an original, I wanted to mix up something traditional. A quick look at some fellow cocktail writers’ sites landed me on cocktailnerd. Gabriel, the author, and I share fairly similar palates and have created many a tasty drink together, so I went with his overly complicated recipe, which I repeat here:

Caipirinha

  • 1 lime, cut into 8 pieces
  • 3oz Boca Loca Cachaça
  • 1T sugar

Get yourself two double old-fashioned glasses, fill one generously with ice. Cut the ends off the lime and cut it in half and cut each half into quarters. Put 6-7 of those quarters into the glass without ice (until the lime quarters are reaching about halfway when loosely stacked). Pour the sugar on top of the limes; muddle like mad. Pour the Cachaça on top of the muddled mixture and strain into the ice-filled glass.

Gabriel from cocktailnerd

Tart, refreshing, and it still has a bloody good aroma. I probably would have added a touch more sugar than Gabe, but 1/4oz of orgeat syrup solved my woes in the best of ways. I do like his omission of between-the-teeth pulp, however.

Making this cocktail has reaffirmed my belief that too many cachaça drinks include the word “muddle” in the directions. Whether it’s a lime, grapefruit, raspberry, or loquat, we need to branch out beyond what might mix well with light rum. Cachaça can be bold and exotic, so no stupid muddled fruit this time. We’re doing something new.

I started off by making solid cachaça.

Solid Cachaca Grapefruit bitters

Bitter Grapefruit Cachaça Cubes

  • 2oz cachaça
  • 1 dash grapefruit bitters
  • 1t pectin

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for one minute. Pour into a small ramekin or any dish where you can get the liquid about 1/4″ high. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so until it gels. If you want to speed up the process, chill the ramekin in a ice-water bath, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes, and then in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the drink. When solid, cut around the edges of the dish and plop the solid gelatinous block onto a counter. Cut into 1/4″ cubes. This recipe makes about 2T of cubes, enough for two drinks.

Patriarch of the Forest

  • 2oz Boca Loca Cachaça
  • 1/2oz Licor 43
  • 1oz grapefruit juice
  • 1/2oz lime juice
  • 1/2oz vanilla syrup
  • 1/2oz cinnamon syrup
  • 1T bitter grapefruit cachaça cubes
  • grapefruit peel and vanilla beans, for garnish

Shake all but the cubes with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail vessel, preferably one carved by hand out of a jequitibá tree. Top with the cubes. They will float. Garnish with whimsical fancy.

Rick from Kaiser Penguin

The name for this drink came out of a little bit of research. Boca Loca Cachaça is aged in jequitibá barrels, which are made from some of the tallest trees in Brazil. According to a wikipedia page I translated from Portuguese, there is an enormous species called the pink jequitibá whose name is often used for streets and even palaces. It’s also called by many, the Patriarch of the Forest.

As I was developing the drink, I hit that “I think it’s missing something” stumbling block, and was surprised when I added lime juice and cinnamon syrup that it turned my creation into a complex and delightful potion.

The grapefruit and cinnamon match very well and with each sip you get a few cubes of solid cachaça that burst with the flavor or bitter grapefruit, cutting into the sweetness of the drink. Thoughts of angostura bitters cubes in a manhattan or Cointreau-sea salt cubes in a margarita are quite tempting…

KP Question

  • Has anyone else tried making solid spirits or have any ideas for other cocktails they would work in?

11 Responses to “Solid Cachaça”

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11 Comments to “ Solid Cachaça”
  1. TiareNo Gravatar says:

    I really love cachaca and haven`t yet tasted Boca Loca but i can just imagine. This was a real interesting idea you have. I haven`t tried to make any solid spirits and have no cocktail idea just now, maybe later.

    I like the garnish too, very much, its beautiful and reminds me of a fern “baby”.

    Beautiful pics too as always.

    T

  2. BonzoGalNo Gravatar says:

    What happens to the cubes in the drink? Do they dissolve?

  3. RickNo Gravatar says:

    Michele, They don’t dissolve; they have the consistency of medium soft jello. They “melted” after sitting out for about 3 hours. It was strange.

  4. RowenNo Gravatar says:

    Do the cubes just slide into your mouth? Fascinating and spacey.

  5. wow. wow! caipirinhas are my one true cocktail love! anyways, these remind me of jello shots, but much classier. though im not sure about the color. My liquor store only has one brand 51 (i’m surprised they have any) but i am not always in an abundance of limes so i mix it with other things. my favorite is sparkling apple cider–my window fell out last summer during a wind storm and broke absolutely everywhere, my housemate and i were really freaked out so we grabbed both and it was so good! we called it shattered glass.

    anyways-great blog, your banner is brilliant!

  6. RitaNo Gravatar says:

    I am from Brazil (home of cachaça) and never saw the cubes like that, interesting. I agree that more sugar would be better on the caipirinha recipe, I actually use probably 1 tbsp per drink, the sweeter the betterm and the less you feel the alcohol…(you’l pay for it later, of course). One thing though, it is nice to remove the white part from the middle of the lime once you split it, or the drink can be a little bitter.

    mallory elise – 51 is a good brand, very popular.

  7. OdeteNo Gravatar says:

    I agree with you its almost impossible getting over of caipirinhas. I found very interesting the way you did, I’ll give myself a try. Another great way for caipirinha is mixing fresh fruits, like kiwi, strawberries, orange segments and fresh mint leaves. Just an idea ;)

  8. Wow, very cool Rick. So you’re saying that now I can fill my freezer with rum too?

  9. LindaNo Gravatar says:

    Loved this solid cachaça thing.. im so going to try later

    The interesting about cachaça is that here in Brasil, its the beverage of…beggars and bums… because its really cheap… But i really like it. hahahahahah

    Cachaça 51 is not very good, here there are a lot of brands with better taste… but I guess is dificult to find them. Ypipoca is good…Sagatiba too

    I know that they make caipirinha with strawberry, kiwi, pinapple, grape… and even with wine or beer mixed too..

    Bocaloca? what a bad name…seriously…

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Kaiser Penguin is a cocktail blog featuring original recipes, homemade ingredients, classic cocktails, and tiki drinks.

Why on Earth did you name your blog “Kaiser Penguin?”

It is a well-known fact that penguins are members of high society and enjoy fine cocktails. Our very own kaiser penguin would like me to mention that he also enjoys various treats from the sea.

Contact: rick@kaiserpenguin.com