Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/306378
may 2014 / the tasting panel / 85 "We're definitely a transport brand in that what we're selling is Brazil," he says. "We consider ourselves an ambassador . . . a lot of people consider us their first contact with Brazil." Though it's the third-most consumed spirit in the world, cachaça has suffered an inferiority complex. "It was like rocket fuel, a low-quality spirit that would give you a headache. That has to do with the distilling process for the industrial brands —a lot of it was made like you make ethanol," Luttmann says. And then there was that identity problem with the U.S. requiring all cachaças to include "Brazilian rum" on the labels—a contradiction, and a disservice to Brazil's noble spirit. Cachaça was created in the 1530s, long before rum was made in the Caribbean in the 1660s, and is made from fresh sugarcane, not molasses. But most important, its fruity fresh cane nose suggests tequila more than rum, and says Luttmann, "It doesn't taste like rum. If you do a blind tasting, nine out of 10 bartenders will say its nose is more like a tequila." So, in the spirit of "If you don't like something, change it," Luttmann set out to fix both problems. He recruited French master Cognac distiller Gilles Merlet to rethink and remaster the distilling. He, along with Carlos Eduardo Oliveira, a Brazilian winemaker trained in France, approach the fermentation, distillation and finishing of cachaça like a fine wine, aging it for up to six months in XO Cognac casks. More exacting methods are in place at Maison Leblon, Luttmann's single-estate craft distillery in the heart of Minas Gerais, the premiere Brazilian sugarcane region. Leblon controls everything in the fields and the distillery—from cutting the cane and almost immediately pressing it, to an artisanal distillation in custom-made alambique copper stills, elevating Leblon to a craft product that can command a premium price ($27 SRP) and setting it apart from its industrial competitors. "We make a cachaça with French winemaking techniques, and take a lot of care to get a very fruity juice—almost like a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay," Luttmann explains. "We then age it in casks to polish it and take out the bite." That artisanal process provided ammunition for Luttmann to spearhead "Legalize Cachaça," a four-year awareness campaign that declared cachaça a noble spirit produced in a singular place of origin and deserving of its own designa- tion. In April of 2013, the U.S. Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau finally gave cachaça its own spirit category. With new momentum, the party began in earnest. Already FRENCH WORLD CUP Wallflower, West Village "It's not a typical cachaça," says Xavier Herit, Head Mixologist at the six-month-old Wallflower, a jewel box of a café that makes you think you're in Paris. The French-born Herit likes the Leblon Reserva Especial because of its aging in French oak. "The way I see it with age, I compare it with a cognac," he says. His drink is inspired by his homeland: "We have to have a French cocktail, of course," he says. He noted the Reserva combined well with Byrrh, a French aperitif made from red wine, mistelle and quinine. Here's how five New York City mixologists are using Leblon to create World Cup–themed cachaça cocktails. Leblon ups the ante on the Caipirinha, Brazil's signature cocktail. World COUPE Le Bon Point (The Good Point) ◗ 1½ oz. Leblon Reserva Especial ◗ ¾ oz. Byrrh ◗ ¼ oz. Maraschino liquor ◗ 2 dashes of orange bitters ◗ Orange and lemon oil ◗ Stir all ingredients and serve in a 7.5-oz. coupe glass. Drizzle orange and lemon oils on top. Xavier Herit prepares his Le Bon Point using Leblon Reserva Especial. TP0514_072-101.indd 85 4/24/14 11:00 PM