Hot Scary Summer – Espirito de Minas
There is hardly a spirits category that I have neglected here on the blog as much as Cachaça. I cannot even tell you why, because I do regard the sugarcane spirit from Brazil as very interesting. Nevertheless, this article is here to change that! Despite an excellent Cachaça I am also presenting a very summery cocktail to you. After all, there is a reason why the Caipirinha is the most famous Cachaça drink out there!
The Espirito de Minas Cachaça comes from the state of Minas Gerais. There sugarcane juice is fermented and the one-shot distillation takes place on a copper pot-still. Afterwards, the Cachaça spends a year in oak barrels before being bottled at 42 % ABV. On top of that, the Espirito classifies as a Cachaça Artesanal.
Instant Cachaça notes
When you try the Espirito de Minas for the first time, you instantly know what you have in the glass. There is a pronounced sugarcane note with some vanilla and cinnamon. On top of that, you notice some green notes reminding me of fresh cut grass. The Cachaça is very oily and it also has a whiff of menthol. All in all, in my opinion it is perfect for mixing cocktails with it.
Fruity and herbal
Obviously, my cocktail was inspired by the Caipirinha. However, I wanted to create a more complex drinking experience. On top of that, I also needed to incorporate a “scary” part to fit the name of the cocktail. So, I went for a bit of absinthe, because it is still a bit shrouded in mystery. I also included the Bittermen’s Krupnik Herbal Honey Bitters to give the drink even more herbal complexity. Last but not least, influenced by Brazil’s fruity Caipirinha variations I used orange and passion fruit syrup as a sweetener.
1 Bsp. Paul Devoille Absinth Blanche de Fougerolles
2 Dashes Bittermens Krupnik Honey Bitters
2,25 cl Lime Juice
1,5 cl d‘Arbo Passionfruit-Orange Syrup
Shake – fill into chilled Double Old-Fashioned glass;
Garnish: Dried Kumquat Wheel;
Song: The Villagers – Hot Scary Summer;
Actually, the “Hot Scary Summer” is not scary at all. Instead, it is fruity and refreshing with just the right amount of herbal flavours to keep it interesting. Of course, you also can taste some liquorice notes from the absinthe, but they come in very light waves. All in all, I guess I am in the mood for summer with me tending towards such sweet and sour cocktails in the last few weeks.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The Cachaça and the bitters were provided by Perola.
