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6 Gold Medal-Worthy Avua Cachaça Cocktails That Aren’t The Caipirinha

Sam Slaughter
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Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil, are great. You’ve got your cachaça, your lime, your sugar—everything you need to make a simple, delicious cocktail. With the Olympics coming up, though, sometimes simple won’t cut it. A simple routine might get you in contention, but it isn’t going to secure the gold medal for floor exercises. Sometimes, you’ve got to show off a little bit, give more than all you can to really cement the win.

With that in mind, Avua cachaça put together their own US Olympic team of bartenders from around the country to create cachaça cocktails that are medal-winning in their own right. You’re going to want to make sure you have all of these as you cheer Team USA on in a few weeks.

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Rhythm and Blues
(Created by Sam Lyden, Presidio and Bordel, Chicago, pictured)

  • 1oz of Avuá Amburana Cachaça
  • 1oz Bernheim Wheat Whiskey (but any wheat whiskey will do)
  • .25 Averna Amaro
  • .25 Edmond Briottet Crème de Banane
  • .125 oz demerara syrup
  • 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Method: Stir all of these ingredients with ice in a mixing glass, pour over a large rock in a rocks glass, and garnish with a manicured banana leaf and burning clove. 

Dread Pirate Roberts
(Created by Andrew Stofko, Victor Tangos, Dallas)

  • 1.5oz Avuá Prata Cachaça
  • .5oz cinnamon syrup (1:1 white sugar: water, approx. 4 cinnamon sticks)
  • .75oz lemon juice
  • .25oz Giffard Pamplemousse
  • .25oz Suze
  • 15-18 drops Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters

Method: Build ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice (kold draft if available), shake approximately 6 seconds. Pour contents into an 8oz coupe. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel.

The Southern Cross
(Created by Chris Muscardin, Maddey’s Craft & Cru, Orlando)

  • 1.5oz Avuá Prata Cachaça
  • .5oz Amaro di Angostura
  • .75oz honey syrup, 2:1 ratio
  • .75oz lime juice
  • Laphroiag to rinse glass
  • served: up, in a stemless white wine glass
  • garnish: 2 orchids

Method: Rinse the glass with the Laphroiag or other Islay scotch. Build the other four ingredients in a shaker, shake well, and then double strain into the glass. Clip two orchids to the side of the glass and serve.

Related: You have to try these 6 cachaças before the Olympics start

Copa Cabana
(Created by François Vera, Pour Vous, Hollywood)

  • 2oz Avuá Amburana Cachaça
  • .75oz Fresh Pineapple Juice
  • .25oz Agave Syrup
  • Healthy bar spoon of orange marmalade
  • Pinch of all spice

Method: Whip all the ingredients, except the all spice, and strain into a double old fashioned glass. Swizzle with crush ice and add as much ice as you can to the top of the glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and add a pinch of all spice on the top.

The Heptathlete
(Created by Tim Weigel, Hakkasan Group, Las Vegas) 

  • 1.5oz Avuá Amburana Cachaça
  • 1/2 granny smith apple muddled
  • 1oz lemon juice
  • .75oz maple syrup
  • .25oz St Elizabeth Allspice Dram
  • .5oz Domaine de Canton
  • 3oz Tieton Spice Route Cider

Method: Muddle the apple then proceed to shake all ingredients (except cider) with ice. Double strain over fresh ice inside of a pilsner glass, then top with the cider and stir all ingredients. Garnish with apple petal and marasca cherry.

Flying Down to Rio
(Created by Natalie Jacob, The Archer, New Jersey)

  • 1.5oz Avuá Amburana Cachaça
  • .5oz Banana liqueur
  • 1oz Pineapple Juice
  • .5oz Orange Juice
  • .75oz Coconut Cream

Method: Add all ingredients to shaker, dry shake, and dump into snifter. Fill glass with crush iced and mound at top, garnish with grated nutmeg, pineapple leaves, and a parasol.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
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