Meet João Luiz.
João Luiz (top right) is a master cachaça maker from a town near Rio de Janeiro in Brasil. The town is called Miguel Pereira and it is here that João Luiz looks after our field of Las Iguanas sugar cane, harvests it, distils and bottles it before shipping it to us in the UK. His estate is called Fazenda do Anil, or 'indigo farm'
Cachaça is the third most consumed spirit in the world by volume, only falling behind vodka and whiskey. It is the national spirit of Brasil and the basis of our delicious Caipirinha cocktails. The origins of Cachaça, are linked to the colonisation of Brazil in the 16th century by Portuguese settlers who brought with them sugar cane and the technology of distillation. Plantation owners wanted to produce a spirit that would be similar to their favourite tipple back home, a type of brandy called 'bagaceira.' With no grapes available, they decided to use the juice from sugar cane instead.
We are proud to have such a strong association with João Luiz and his Magnifica distillery and to be the first to introduce our own label quality cachaça to the UK, distilled from our own sugar cane field in Brasil.
The History of Cachaça Magnífica
"Throughout history, each nation has chosen its national drink from its natural resources. In Central Asia, where there is plenty of cereal like wheat and oats, vodka was created. In the Scottish mountains and in Ireland, which are rich in malt, whisky was made. In Mexico, where the main produce is the cactus, tequila was born. And in colonial Brasil, with its vast sugar cane plantations, the people created their own drink - cachaça". Carvalho e Silva, 1998.
After World War II, 'industrial 'cachaça appeared, produced on a large scale, pushing aside the more traditionally made cachaça from copper stills, called alambiques. Almost 60 years later, cachaça de alambique production is recovering its lost ground as a premium spirit. Cachaça Magnífica began production in 1985, rapidly becoming one of the leading cachaça de alambique labels on the market. Produced in the mountains nearby Rio de Janeiro, Magnifica takes care of every step of its production process. From nurturing the sugar cane, to the crushing and distillation in its copper still, and the process of ageing and bottling, everything is made within the grounds of the estate. Las Iguanas Magnífica ages for at least 2 years in Ipê (a sustainable Brasilian hardwood) and Oak barrels, acquiring its full flavour and bouquet. After that, and only after that, it is shipped to us, to us as the perfect base for fruity and exotic cocktails, or excellent drunk by itself, bringing everyone the real taste of Brazil.
Cocktails
Mix up these cocktails at home to get a taste of the Latin Life!
Caipirinha
Cana Royale
Ginger Batidas
