Cachacier – Celebrating Cachaça, Brazil’s National Spirit

Cachaça (pronounced ka-sha-sa), sometimes referred to as a Brazilian Rum, has some similarities to rum, but can actually stand in a category of its own. If you enjoy rum, especially fine “rhums”, you should really explore the world of cachaça as you will likely find it an excellent addition to your rum collection.

Known as the “people’s spirit” in Brazil, the very early cachaças were not considered to be the finest of spirits. According to Peter Banks, the Founder and CEO of Cachacier, “The image of cachaça was refreshed in the mid-90’s when the President of Brazil declared cachaça a unique product of Brazil. A few years later, a new generation of producers who had grown up with family members consuming and producing cachaça began to take over. They sought to produce higher quality spirits, and the results really speak for themselves.” 

There are definitely similarities between rum and cachaça, although cachaça actually is said to predate the first production of rum. To be considered cachaça, it must be produced in Brazil and it can only be made from sugarcane juice and not molasses. The use of sugarcane juice makes it more akin to the taste of an Agricole rhum than the sweeter taste of a molasses-based rum.

Cachaça can be aged in many types of wood. Frequently local wood is used, although oak, which is not local, is still used by a number of producers in the aging process. When tropical woods are used such as Jequitibá, Amburana, Zebrawood and wood from other trees exclusive to the region, the cachaça producer opens themselves up to a myriad of unique flavor combinations and profiles.

So why don’t we hear more about cachaça? Word about this Brazilian spirit has begun to emerge and through websites like Cachaça for Gringos, a lot of info is becoming available, leading to increased interest in learning about cachaça and trying it.

Peter Banks, as mentioned above, found a passion for cachaça after living in Brazil for 8 years. He began to see that there was something special about it after visiting some of the many cachaça clubs that meet in Brazil to talk about cachaça, meet different producers and try their products. He then started visiting distilleries and writing about cachaça and began to realize that people in the US had very limited access to good cachaça. According to Peter, “There are about 1,000 producers (officially, though many more unofficial), but less than 1% of all production gets exported every year, and most of that is from the big players owned by Bacardi, Diageo. However, he continues, the small producers are the interesting ones.”

Cachacier’s First Collection from Princesa Isabel Distillery in Brasil

In 2021, Peter took the first steps towards creating a company called Cachacier, with the purpose of working with different distilleries in Brazil, importing some of their products and helping to help introduce them to the US market to expose Americans to the cachaça universe. We recently received two beautiful bottles of Cachacier’s recentlly released Collection One from their first partner distillery, Princesa Isabel, located in Espirito Santo, just northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

Their 4-Wood Blend Expression

This first collection includes a silver expression that is aged 2 years in Jequitibá and a 4-wood blend expression aged 2 years in Jequitibá, Amburana, Jaqueira and Balsamo. Peter said that these expressions were chosen because they are very unique to cachaça and aren’t found in any other types of rum.

The 4-Wood Blend Label from Collection One

Not having tried cachaça before, we were anxious to give this first collection from Cachacier a try. We found both expressions to be delightful. Although there were some similarities to an Agricole type “rhum”, these two cachaças were a bit softer with unusual but pleasant notes – most likely from the terroir of the sugarcane and the types of wood used in the aging process. The 4-wood blend we enjoyed best neat. The silver was also very good as a sipper, but additionally worked well in a Caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil.

The Silver Expression in a Caipirinha

If you are in the US, you can order bottles of the first collection by Cachacier on their website here. Each collection will be a limited release. There is a good deal of interesting information on the Cachasa for Gringos blog including recipes, the cachaça distilling process, types of wood used and much more. You can also find out more by following Cachacier on Facebook and Instagram.

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Renegade Rum – Making Waves in Grenada

Renegade Rum Distillery, Grenada

Wine & Rum.
Two spirits not usually mentioned in the same breath. But in visiting Renegade Rum, a new distillery and entirely new concept in producing rum, we were reminded more of making a fine wine, than rum. With a new distillery set amongst cane fields on the north-eastern part of the island, and a concept akin to some of the finest wine making, Renegade Rum is making waves in Grenada and quite possibly the rum-world.

We just returned from a trip to the spice island, Grenada. We were seated on the plane next to a young man who mentioned he was going to Grenada on business. Ironically, he was the Sales Director for a new rum on island named Renegade Rum. It was a fairly long flight, so we had ample time to find out more about the brand and their unique concept. He was nice enough to take our information and after arriving in Grenada, we received an invitation to visit this fairly new facility. There we met Ruari, the son of Renegade Rum CEO Mark Reynier. He walked us through Renegade’s vision and unique approach to creating their rum and offered us tastings of their current rums.

Ruari Reynier, Renegade Cane Rum

It was extremely interesting to hear how Renegade applies the same methodology and philosophy of the world’s greatest vignerons – terrior – to create this most unusual rum. The French wine term terroir refers to the interaction between the soil, microclimate and place on a vine or any growing plant. Starting from scratch on Grenada, Renegade had the chance to identify a wide variety of terroirs throughout the island, each one influencing how their cane grows and the flavors they can derive from it.

Sugar Cane at Renegade Rum Distillery

The Renegade Cane Rum Vision.
Reyniers’ vision to create a terroir driven truly natural rum comes in part from his background in wine and his success with the concept in another spirit, whiskey. Specifically, Waterford Whiskey. In creating Waterford Whiskey, the focus is on the barley, whereas, with Renegade Rum, the focus is on the sugar cane. No molasses, just pure sugar cane. As stated on their website, “Is it possible to create a rum that can be taken as seriously as the world’s greatest single malts? Using terroir as our building blocks & sugar cane only, the source of rum’s natural flavour – no molasses – that is what we seek to answer.”

Horizontal fermentation, Renegade Rum Distillery
Pot Still, Renegade Rum Distillery

Renegade Rum currently grows 6 varieties of sugar cane planted in 12 different sugar cane “farms” on Grenada. Each farm or “terrior” was carefully chosen based on different elevations and topography and each terroir produces a cane whose expression carries its own unique flavor.

The Rum.
Expressions from several of the different terrior’s have been bottled without being aged, and make for a very unique tasting experience. These expressions are labeled with the farm name and are considered Pre-Cask. We wondered if our palates could discern the difference between terroir expressions, and we could! Several Pre-Cask rums have already won awards: Pre-Cask Hope was awarded a Double Gold medal from the Fifty Best. Pre-Cask Lake Antoine (Lower) and Pre-Cask Nursery were awarded Gold medals.

Dunfermline Pre-Cask Rum, Renegade Rum
Rum Tasting at the Renegade Rum Distillery

In addition to the Pre-Cask expressions, Renegade has recently released their first aged cane spirits: ÉTUDES. There are currently two ÉTUDES available: New Bacolet and Pearls – each named for the farm that produced the sugar cane for these aged expressions.

New Bacolet and Pearls, Renegada Cane Rum (photo courtesy of Renegade Rum)

Aging for the two ÉTUDES occurs in premium French and American Oak casks, before being bottled naturally at 55% ABV. Approximately 6,000 bottles of each are being released worldwide.

The Cane Code on a bottle of Lake Antoine Pre-Cask

The Cane Code.
Another thing that stood out to us is Renegade’s level of transparency in the production and content of their rum. Just one case in point, the Cane Code. Every bottle of Renegade Rum has a Cane Code on the back of the bottle. When the code is entered on the website, it will open up a wealth of great information and graphics regarding the origin of that particular rum. It even includes a sound clip from the field where this rum was harvested! Try it! Input the Cane Code from the photo above here.

Eventually, Renegade hopes to produces Cuvee’s or blends of the expressions. Given the number or terrior’s and types of cane, this could lead to unlimited new blends.

There is so much more to the Renegade Rum story and process that we literally cannot cover it in one small article. We encourage you to explore the story and the detailed info on their website. We’re looking forward to learning more about Renegade Rum as they continue to develop and to experiencing more of their rum. As our tasting at the distillery proved, Renegade Rum is not just unique, it is good!

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Frozen Mango Daiquiri

Mango and rum just naturally seem to compliment each other (see Mango Mojito, Mango Colada, Spicy Mango Daiquiri, Rum and Mango Salsa, Mango Hurricane, Papaya Mango Rum Float). While perusing the shelves of the local liquor store, we found a mango fruit puree drink mix and thought we’d give it a try in a frozen daiquiri. So easy, cold and delicious! Definitely a go to drink when you need something cold and mangoey!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Frozen Mango Daiquiri

Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.
  • Add 1/2 oz. dark rum as a floater, if desired.

Find more rum recipes here!

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Frozen Painkiller

We ordered our first Frozen Painkiller from The Longboard on St. John a few years ago after a great day exploring the beautiful sandy beaches on the north shore. Painkillers have been one of our go-to favorites for a long, long time (find out more about this popular drink here) – ever since we tried our first one on St. John in the 90’s. However, the Frozen Painkiller we were served at The Longboard was something special. Cold, creamy and so refreshing. We’re not sure what their exact recipe is, but we came home and attempted to make our own. They’ll never be quite as special as the one’s there (our view is not quite the same!), but it certainly reminds us of great times in the islands. The recipe below makes one tall drink but can be easily doubled.

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Frozen Painkiller

Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 6 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1.5 oz Orange Juice
  • 1.5 oz Coconut Creme
  • 3 oz Rum (Authentic Painkillers are made with Pusser's Rum)
  • 1 – 2 c Ice (Or, substitute frozen pineapple for some of the ice. It does make the Painkiller thicker and more filling, but it tastes good!)
  • Freshly Grated Nutmeg
  • .5 0z Dark Rum (Optional, as a floater)

Instructions

  • Put all ingredients in a blender and blend just until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Add the optional dark rum on the top if you'd like a floater, then sprinkle with nutmeg and serve immediately.

Find more rum recipes here.

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Fun & Festive 4th of July Rum Drinks

Do you need a couple of refreshing, fun and festive looking recipes for your 4th of July celebration? Check out the rum recipes below!

Red, White and Booze

A colorful, layered drink with lemonade, grenadine, blue curacao and rum of course! Find the recipe here!

Poppin’ Strawberry Colada

Remember pop rocks? This frozen strawberry delight includes pop rocks around the rim for a poppin’ good time! Get the recipe here!

Firecracker Rum Shots

Mmmm – tasty little rum shots. Make them cinnamon flavored by using a cinnamon flavored rum or adding red hots to the mix! Get the recipe here!

Happy 4th of July! Have fun and be safe!

Find additional rum recipes here.

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Warm Rum Mocha

It’s cold. Where we live, the weather is more often warm (or hot!), but we still get a day or two of downright chilliness this time of year.

We were going to put together a new tropically delicious rum drink today, but opted instead for a drink that will warm ya down to your cold toes. We’re fans of warm mocha coffee drinks and thought that adding some rum (and a few other ingredients) might make for a good drink for this weekend. If you’re stuck in some cold weather right now, we hope you’ll enjoy this Warm Rum Mocha.

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Warm Rum Mocha

Servings: 2
Author: Rum Therapy

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour milk and chocolate into a saucepan and warm over low heat stirring frequently.
  • Once warm, add rum, Kahlua, Amaretto and coffee and stir until very warm.
  • Pour into a mug, top with whipped cream, sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon and garnish with a cinnamon stick, if you wish.

Find more delicious rum recipes here!

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Santa Sauce


Sometimes milk and cookies just don’t cut it. Here’s a recipe for a toasty, aromatic beverage that will warm you all the way down to your Christmas socks. I hear that even Santa is asking for a cup of this in lieu of milk. He says you can still serve the cookies though… You might want to double the batch, in case you want to join Santa in a glass or two!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Santa Sauce

Servings: 2
Author: Rum Therapy

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add cranberry juice and apple cider to a saucepan and warm.
  • Add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, coriander, star anise, ginger and orange slices.
  • Cover and simmer on low up to 45 minutes.
  • Just before serving, add the rum and stir until just warm.
  • Strain into mugs and serve while warm.

Find more delicious Rum Recipes here!

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Frothy Fallwacker

Frothy Fallwacker. Hmmm. Say that three times fast!

Slightly resembling the taste of a Bushwacker, the Frothy Fallwacker is lighter than a Bushwacker and perfect as a before or after dinner treat.

Add a small dollop of whipped cream if you wish. Heck, calories don’t count during the holidays, do they?

You might also be interested in the recipes for Pumpkin Rum Pie and Hot Buttered Rum Apple Pie!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Frothy Fallwacker

Servings: 1
Author: Rum Therapy

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine rum, Kahlúa, Milk, Salted Caramel Syrup, Liquid Cinnamon Flavoring and ice in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
  • Pour into a martini glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Find more delicious Rum Recipes here!

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This Weeks Rum Therapy® Deals

With just 41 days until Christmas 2021, the holiday shopping season is in full swing!

Here are the most popular Rum Therapy® tropical apparel, hat and accessory items this week as far as purchases, and a couple of good deals to cash in on.

This Weeks Deals

The first deal is an additional 10% off everything in our 5 Bucks & Under Shop. These items make great stocking stuffers and gifts and include tees, a hat, jewelry and some tropical accessories! Use code SAVE10 for 10% off anything in 5 Bucks & Under Shop until Nov. 15, 2021. (Code must be used at the time of purchase).

Also, enjoy FREE US SHIPPING on all orders over $100. No code needed!

The 5 most popular items this week:

5. Rum Therapy® Pirate Bones Tumbler. Our Pirate Bones Design on this 20 oz. Tumbler comes in white or black. Also available on a tee and a hat!

Rum Therapy® Pirate Bones Tumbler

4. Rum Therapy® Take Me Back To The Beach Bar Tee. Our “Take Me Back To The Beach Bar” design on a 5.3 oz., pre-shrunk cotton tee! The tee comes in Black, Charcoal, Military Green, Navy, Royal and sizes S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL. Also available on a 20 oz. Tumbler and a Hoodie!

Rum Therapy® Take Me Back To The Beach Bar Tee


3. Rum Therapy® Sun and the Sand Women’s Lightweight California Wave Wash Hooded Sweatshirt. This sweatshirt is the perfect weight and fit and comes in Blush or Sage. It’s an extremely soft hoodie that features raglan sleeves and a wave wash fabric for unique color and a standard fit. You’ll love the look and feel of this 7.0 oz 52% ring spun cotton/48% polyester blend! So soft and comfy! It’s available in sizes S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL. This design is also available on a 20 oz. Tumbler, a 12 oz. Rum Mug, a tee and a warm unisex hoodie!

Rum Therapy® Sun and the Sand Women’s Lightweight California Wave Wash Hooded Sweatshirt

2. Santa Relaxing with a Rum Drink Ornament.

Oh, Santa. We’d like to vacation with you! Wait, is that a Painkiller in your hand? In a bright, glossy ceramic – approximately 3 inches across and 2 inches high. Captioned with Rum Therapy, but you can customize with your own vacation date and place using a fine tip sharpie! Check out these other ornaments too: Santa Enjoying a Little Rum Therapy and Sea Glass Wreath Ornament!

Santa Relaxing With a Rum Drink Ornament
  1. And the most popular item in our Shop this week? Our Rum Therapy® I’m The Reason Hoodie!  Yep. I’m the reason the rum is gone! Our I’m The Reason design on a soft, warm heavy blend pullover hoodie. This unisex sized comfortable hoodie is a preshrunk 50% cotton, 50% polyester fleece knit. Comes in sizes sizes S – 4XL and in colors Indigo Blue, Black, Red. This design also come on a tee, 20 oz. Tumbler, 12 oz. Rum Mug!
Rum Therapy® I’m The Reason Hoodie

Find other great tropical gifts for the holidays (or you!) in the RUM THERAPY SHOP!

Cheers!

Caribbean Rice & Peas

If you’re like me, the inability to travel to the islands right now has left us thirsting not only for beautiful blue water, warm sand and cold rum drinks, but also Caribbean cuisine! While we wait for a time when we can again visit our favorite islands, we’ve been cooking up some of our favorite Caribbean dishes in an attempt to satisfy our Caribbean cravings.

This popular Caribbean side dish is mostly remembered from our time on Jamaica, but was served as an accompaniment to dishes on many other islands that we’ve visited – each with a slightly different taste! Pidgeon peas are traditionally used in some regions, but kidney beans are most commonly used in Jamaica, and apparently both peas and beans are called peas in Jamaica!

Serve a warm bowl of this Caribbean Rice & Peas with Jamaican Jerk Chicken and wash it down with some Authentic Rum Punch! You might also enjoy these recipes for Caribbean Roti and Jamaican Beef Patties.

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Soak the dried kidney beans overnight, then place beans in a large saucepan with the water.
  • Add onion, garlic, allspice, thyme, Scotch bonnet, ginger, salt, pepper and coconut milk.
  • Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for about an hour.
  • Add rice, then continue to simmer for about 30 minutes until rice is soft and fluffy.
  • Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if needed for taste.
  • Remove the Scotch Bonnet Pepper, fluff with a fork and serve.

For more delicious recipes, check out our Recipe Page

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