Cachaçagora - Cachaça, Caipirinha, And Cocktails

Taking a Ride with Emilio Lobato on the Cachaça Express

One of the most rewarding things about running this site has been hearing (and re-telling) the stories I hear from all parts of the cachaça production and marketing value-chain. Readers have heard plenty from distillers, and a bit less from bartenders, but virtually nothing about retail. 

Emilio Lobato of Cachaça Express contacted me recently and I interviewed him over email. He started Cachaça Express in late 2010 as "so far, the best reference in Brazil in terms of cachaça selection, content, usability and design."

After a cursory browse of the site and its selection, it's hard to disagree. Cachaça Express has everything from Cachaçagora favorites like Coqueiro to life-in-Diddy's-liquor-cabinet fare such as Cachaça Havana, a Playboy-Brasil-lauded tipple that will set you back $R350 (US$211) for a mere 600ml bottle.

You can shop by price (for most of us), type (aged, white, etc.), and (for us real cachaça nerds) region of origin. 

Read the interview and find out more after the jump.

Interview: Cameron Scholderer of The Mondrian Hotel's Sunset Lounge

The only time I've been in Miami, I was rushing through its hellish airport to catch a connecting plane to São Paulo, wondering why I appeared to be the only patron who actually cared if the place got swallowed up into a swamp. If I'm ever down there in a more leisurely way, though, I'll definitely be stopping at the Mondrian Hotel and, in particular, its Sunset Lounge.

Why? Well... At the Sunset Lounge, mixologist Cameron Scholderer offers his no-doubt-thrilled customers a selection of fifty-to-sixty artisanal cachaças. If Monte Alvão or Aroma Brasil is one of them, I'll likely to a "dance of joy" that would make Balki Bartokomous proud. If he has Barril 39 or Maria Izabel, I could cry. It won't be pretty.

Anyway, answering my occasional call for bartender perspectives, Copa's Jason Montgomery put me in touch with Cameron. Read the interview after the jump.

Ian Burrell: The Cachaçagora Interview

Rarely does my cachaça-sleuthing take me across the pond. Thankfully, the good folks at Boca Loca hooked me up with an email interview with the Ian Burrell -- entrepreneur, rum ambassador, and founder of RumFest UK. 

What is the opportunity for cachaça in the UK? How has the reaction been? 

There is a huge opportunity for cachaça in the UK, providing the brands educated not only the trade but consumers to understand how cachaça differs from other cane spirits. The fact that it is from a country that promotes exotic music, people, football and lifestyle can only benefit the general public’s perception of what is still a misunderstood spirit.

What have you been doing lately with cachaça? Any recipes to share?

Obviously those that know cachaça will serve it 99% of the times in a Caipirinha, but the earthy, fresh cane juice flavours can be combined within an array of cocktails that bring the natural fruity notes of the Brazilian spirit. A typical recipe that I serve is:

Boca de Coco

• 2 parts  Boca Loca cachaça
• 1 part coconut water
• ½ part lime peel syrup
• ½ part coconut rum
• Dash of fresh lime juice

Shake, and serve into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a thin zest of lime.

How did you hook up w/ Boca Loca?

I discovered Boca Loca in the UK at a trade show. I thought the brand brought a fun, refreshing approach to the category. I was also a judge in a blind tasting in 2008 in which Boca Loca won a gold medal.

What's next for you, cachaça-wise?

To help educate the trade and consumers into understanding Cachaça as a spirit through seminars, cocktail training, master classes throughout Europe & the US as well as  my Rum & Cane Spirit festival in London, which is the biggest event of it’s kind in the world.

Tony Abou-Ganim On Cachaça

The Authentic Bartender points us to Nightclub & Bar's interview with mixology legend Tony Abou-Ganim, whom Leblon was kind enough to introduce me to last year.

A highlight from the NCB interview:

NCB: What are some of the dos and don’ts of working with cachaça?

Abou-Ganim: My biggest do is to keep it simple. Choose ingredients that complement the flavor of the particular cachaça. To me, with that floral, earthy element, cachaça can be both rugged and refined, masculine but gentlemanly. It lends itself to fresh, tropical fruits and an array of citrus.

You don’t want to mask it with artificial flavors, mixes and syrups. When I think of cachaça and modifiers, I think of things like Cointreau, with its bitter and orange peels, or Domaine de Canton, which will complement the earthiness, or floral liqueurs like St-Germain that complement that floral-citrus element. Parfait Amour, with its violet and vanilla, is another nice one. It’s important to think of liqueurs that will complement without overpowering.

Here's one of Tony's cachaca-based recipes

Desert Rose

• 1 ½ ounce Leblon cachaça
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce fresh tangerine juice
• 1 ounce homemade hibiscus syrup
• Chilled soda water

Shake Leblon, hibiscus syrup, fresh lemon and tangerine juices; strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Spritz with chilled soda water. Stir and garnish with an edible flower.

For hibiscus syrup: Bring 2 parts water to boil, add 2 parts sugar; dissolve and add 1 part dried hibiscus flowers. Simmer for 15 minutes. Take off heat and let cool.

Tony Abou-Ganim, The Cachaçagora Interview

Answering my call for more bartender perspectives, Leblon delivered big-time: The opportunity to interview the legendary Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist.

Now based in Vegas and running his own beverage consultancy focused on cocktail development and bar staff training, Tony is known around my old stomping grounds for his signature drink, the Cable Car, which he created for the specialty cocktail menu at Harry Denton's Starlight Room high atop the Sir Francis Drake hotel in San Francisco.

In his capacity as a consulting mixologist with Leblon, he took some time during his trip to New York and chatted with me about cachaça, the recession, and his advice for bartenders. You'll also want to watch the Leblon-filmed video at the end to see some of the techniques and recipes he describes in the interview.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Boca Loca Holiday Creations

Noting my interest in cachaça cocktails for the holidays, the folks at Boca Loca sent over some recipes (PDF) from Jeffrey Morgenthaler, who is serving as the brand's consulting mixologist. Jeffrey is the bar manager of the Bel Ami Lounge, as well as the founder of RepealDay.Org and the Oregon Bartenders Guild. Chances are pretty good that, if you're reading my blog, you've followed Jeffrey for some time.

I was curious as to how the Jeffrey/Boca-Loca relationship came about. Jeffrey — who I can only imagine is crushingly busy — graciously took the time to answer my questions. See what he had to say after the jump.