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You Have To Try These 6 Cachaças Before The Rio Olympics Start

By Sam Slaughter Jul 12, 2016 8:00 AM

While you may not have heard of cachaça before, in the next month you surely will be hearing more and more about it as we get closer to the Rio 2016 Olympics. This sugarcane spirit, made from the fermentation of fresh sugarcane juice (compared to rum, which is made with a refined sugar product, molasses) is native to Brazil and is the key ingredient in the nation’s national cocktail, the caipirihna (kay-pree-nah).

To get in the mood for this year’s Olympic games, we’ve put together a list of must-try cachaças so that you have them on hand when the Olympic torch reaches Rio in a few weeks.

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Novo Fogo Chameleon—This expression marries the savory identity of Novo Fogo’s Silver Cachaça with the vanilla notes of their Barrel-Aged expression. It’s aged just long enough to reach mixability peaks without losing its rainforest and sugarcane funk. A hazelnut nose is continued with sweet and spicy herbs in the palate and finished with lively citrus. From tiki drinks to stirred aperitifs, this versatile cachaça is the bartender’s friend (32.99)

Novo Fogo Graciosa—Graciosa is aged for two years in repurposed oak and finished for eighteen months in castanheira do Pará (Brazil nut) barrels, lending it a vibrantly aromatic yet creamy disposition: starting with pecan and orchids on the nose, the palate morphs into cherry custard and finishes with pleasant notes of soft clove and anise. ($34.99)

Yaguara Branca—Bottled at 40.5% ABV, Yaguara Branca was developed by Erwin Weimann and Jean Ponce, Yaguara´s Brazilian brand consultant–keeping the families’ tradition of blending. Ponce is a former bartender at D.O.M. in São Paulo, noted on San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Branca is a traditional, 100% white, unaged cachaça.

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Yaguara Ouro—A barrel-aged expression of blended cachaça that is bottled at 42% ABV. Developed by Yaguara’s master blender, Erwin Weimann, Ouro is an original blend of cachaça aged in two Brazilian native woods—Cabreúva and Amburana–as well as American Oak. ($44)

Avuá Prata Cachaça—Rested in stainless steel casks before being hand-bottled. The result is a lush and crisp spirit with subtle banana and floral notes, making it perfect for caipirihnas or other cocktails. ($28)

Avuá Amburana Cachaça—Aged in Amburana wood, an indigenous wood, this cachaça comes away with warm and savory notes on both the nose and palate. Good for mixing or for sipping neat. ($36)

I declare this the summer of rum: Drinking rum the right way with an expert

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Look, I am a movie buff. Everything I ever learned about life I learned from or sparked an interest in a movie. So, when it comes to rum, my first impression of the drink came from watching Jack Sparrow drink it on a beach. Now, as I travel all over the Carribean, I have discovered that there is, in fact, an entire culture surrounding the consumption of this versatile liquor. Of course, I don’t just take movies at their word, and I dive deep into a subject to find out more about it once my interest is piqued. When it came to rum, I reached out to my friends over at Blue Chair Bay Rum and asked why I am seeing rum everywhere in the summer of 2026. So, why is rum the liquor of the summer?

Rum has an authentic connection to summer because it reflects the easygoing spirit of warm weather entertaining. Inspired by the relaxed spirit of the Caribbean, Blue Chair Bay Rum was co-founded by award-winning singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney, whose deep connection to the islands comes from years spent traveling, performing, and unwinding along their shores. He wanted to capture that feeling with a premium rum that is approachable and full of flavor while embodying effortless joy amongst friends. – Anthony Moniello, Chief Executive Officer of Next Century Spirits

Stranahan’s is set to release its first ever nationally available bottled-in-bond whiskey

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American single malt whiskey has only recently become an officially recognized category, but Stranahan’s has been crafting it for two decades. Now, the iconic, award-winning brand has announced the oldest Colorado bottled-in-bond whiskey ever made. And yes, it’s single malt whiskey.

Stranahan’s American Single Malt Whiskey: Bottled-in-Bond

Dining With the Ghosts of The Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll

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If I could travel back in time to see any concert, I would probably catch a show at the Fillmore East. An intimate venue with superb sound, the Church of Rock ’n’ Roll saw legendary performances from a pantheon of rock gods. Hendrix, Janis, Lennon, the Doors—the roster reads like a Who’s Who of classic rock. The Allman Brothers recorded their finest live album, At Fillmore East, at the East Village venue.

Alas, I am not Doc Brown from Back to the Future. I was born a generation too late for the golden age of rock, and the Fillmore East closed its doors in 1971. My rock ’n’ roll heroes may have shed their mortal coils, but I can toast their ghosts at Cathédrale, a restaurant just a few blocks from where the hallowed stage once stood.