Cachaça—the national spirit of Brazil, made from distilled sugarcane juice—has a curious reputation outside of its home country. Often misclassified as a rum, the spirit is best known as the base ingredient in Brazil’s trademark simple yet satisfying Caipirinha—a no-nonsense libation composed of cachaça, brown sugar and lime. Now the craft small-batch cachaça that is commonplace in Brazil is venturing north of the equator. The …
“The patience is in the fields,” explains Olmeca Tequila‘s master distiller Jesus Hernández on our recent trip to their Jalisco distillery, where we learned firsthand how they produce their Altos tequilas. While the entire process is a genuine labor of love, it all starts with a mature blue agave plant, which takes an average of seven years to cultivate. There’s no sense in harvesting the …
Although the Moscow Mule might be getting some flack for its overrated simplicity and marketing-made history, that doesn’t mean vodka can’t impress. While the spirit is supposed to be clear, odorless and flavorless (unless intentionally infused or artificially modified), anyone can note variations between brands—regardless of the source substance and distillation practices. The following selections—domestic and international—bring something new to the table. Each stands as …
