Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/7240
march 2010 / the tasting panel / 79 I've had pretty good track record with predictions. I was among the fi rst to say that styl- ish retro cocktails were going to be huge (and, conversely, that the days of the Long Island Iced Tea were numbered). I accurately foretold the success of new liqueurs fl avored with the likes of elderberry, ginger and açai. And a year ago in Japan, I saw the future in the form of hand-carved ice balls. I have another prediction as I look in the crystal ball this year: Cachaça is going to get big. Very big. The federal government still requires that cachaças imported to the States be labeled "Brazilian rum," an unfortunate state of affairs that will probably be remedied as Ameri- can consumers—and government bureaucrats—learn more about this native Brazilian sugarcane spirit. One popular brand, Leblon (see profi le on p. 81), has an active Legalize Cachaça campaign to raise awareness of this issue; bartenders nationwide are get- ting on the bandwagon. CATEGORY REPORT The raw material for cachaça: fresh sugarcane. Do! Cane ANTHONY DIAS BLUE PREDICTS THAT BRAZILIAN CACHAÇA IS GOING TO GO BOOM