This cachaca is silky like butter but not without letting you know its an alcoholic spirit…
A year ago i wrote about the Abelha organic cachaca and tried out their silver which I liked a lot. Now its time to try out their aged cachaca – Abelha Gold.
Abelha is a small batch organic cachaca and thus contains no chemical products. From the green sugar cane the natural yeasts are used for fermentation and the farmers in Bahia where Abelha is made grows 100% organic sugarcane which isn`t burnt ( a requirement for beeing called organic) and is distilled in small batches in traditional copper stills.
Abelha Gold is aged for 3 years in small 250L garapeira wooden barrels – and this species of wood which is native to Brazil does not change the flavor and character of the cachaca in the same way as an imported oak barrel does – instead it imparts a unique honey and spiced note to the spirit paired with a beautiful mellow tone resulting in a flavorful well-balanced cachaca.
The flavor has hints of dried tropical fruits, honey and vanilla and has a woody character…slightly topped off with the typical grassy notes of fresh sugarcane. Its on the sweet side but not too much. The nose is woody/grassy.
The cool lively and colorful bottle labels makes me happy and are made by Holly Wales and Anthony Sheret. I really would like to see this cachaca sold outside of the UK…more people deserves to taste this good stuff! let`s hope for that it will in a not too distant future. At the back of the label it says – Drink responsably – this cachaca is too good to mess about with.
That`s a good advice..and now its time for a cocktail…I`m in a pineapple mood so a little twist on the Pineapple Delight is in order and really, this cachaca is made for that kinda drink.
GOLDEN BEE
6-7 fresh pineapple chunks
2 oz Abelha Gold
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 barspoon vanilla honey
1/4 oz sugarcane syrup
Top with Ting
Float Smith & Cross
Garnish pineapple leaves, slice and lime slice
Scoop out a pineapple and set aside and save a few leaves for garnish and a pineapple slice. Don´t scoop too deep as it will leak. Before serving fill it up with crushed ice.
Muddle pineapple chunks, vanilla honey and lime in shaker. Add Abelha cachaca and shake with ice and strain into the pineapple filled with crushed ice and top with Ting, then float Smith & Cross. Finally garnish with the pineapple leaves, slice and a wedge of lime, make sure these don`t touch too deep so the drink doesn`t become bitter.
This drink is so TASTY! please try it!
I also wanted to try out the Golden Fashioned from Detroit Bar in Covent Garden but that drink contains smoked sugar and since i have no equipment for smoking sugar i leave that for those who can. But here`s the recipe.
Golden Fashioned
50ml Abelha gold
Stirred up with smoked sugar (dash water to dissolve sugar)
Dash grapefruit bitters
Ice, and stir just like an old fashioned
Orange and lemon skin twist
Abelha is as far as i know only sold in London – a link is here: http://www.abelha.co.uk/where-to-buy-cachaca-abelha-in-london/
Abelha cachaca is certified by the IBD in Brasil, and the UK import is certified organic by the Organic Farmers and Growers.
