Cachaca is essentially Brazilian rum. But instead of the dark, heavy molasses used for many rums, cachaca is made from the juice of the first press of unrefined sugar cane.

It’s made in pot stills and generally not aged. Cocktail guide author Mittie Hellmich calls it “rum’s fiery cousin.”

Harsher than rum, the average cachaca can deliver a kick similar to that of grappa or aguardente. Cachaca often has a wild edge and a vegetal or smoky finish.

In the past year, a number of premium cachacas have launched with the American market in mind: rounder, smoother cachacas such as Boca Loca, Cuca Fresca, Mae de Ouro and Leblon, which won top cachaca at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

In fact, the largest growth category at the competition is cachaca. Introduced in 2006 with only three entries, the cachaca category grew to 16 entries in 2007, as many as the number in the gin category. For me, though, the jury is still out on whether premium cachaca adds enough to justify the extra expense over the mass-produced brands such as Pitu.

In Brazil, of course, the spirit is a part of everyday life and represents 80 percent of the country’s spirit sales.

“It’s really a workhorse. It’s very versatile,” says Paulo Rosolem, export sales manager for Cachaca 61. The Cachaca 61 brand, incidentally, should not be confused with another widely available brand, Cachaca 51. Apparently, it’s common in Brazil for a company to number its cachaca (usually the year of the brand’s origin). There is also a Cachaca 69 and a Cachaca 71.

But how versatile is it?

I enjoy a caipirinha very much. Of all the ubiquitous cocktails – the cosmopolitan, the mojito, the appletini – it’s the only one that feels like a good, stiff drink. It has a simple formula: Cut one lime into wedges and muddle it together with 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium glass; add 1 1/2 ounces cachaca and crushed ice; stir vigorously. As with all classic drinks that have a simple formula, there are endlessly debatable variations. Do you cut the lime into four or eight wedges? Do you use turbinado sugar? How much do you crush the ice?

The caipirinha has led me on a search for other good drinks to make with cachaca. Not as easy as it sounds.

Case in point: I recently ordered a caipirinha. As I watched the bartender dutifully muddle the lime and sugar, then add the requisite cachaca, I asked him a question: Besides making caipirinhas, what else can you do with cachaca?

He looked up from his muddling, stared at me vacantly for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t think there’s really anything else,” he said. “You don’t really want to drink this stuff by itself.”

With a little bit of experimenting, however, I’ve found that cachaca’s bite and wildness make it an excellent mixer with fresh fruit juices. For instance, you can make a delicious caipirinha variation with crushed pineapple. Or try a batida, a traditional Brazilian drink with many variations involving fruit juice and coconut milk or condensed milk that can be blended or shaken.

Cachaca especially can stand up to tropicals such as passion fruit, mango or guava – perhaps even better than rum – adding balance to the syrupy sweetness.

As Hellmich writes: “Although they say you can power a Ford Fairlane with cachaca, I’d rather fuel a daiquiri with it.”

BEVERAGE

Bossa Nova

Here is another summer cocktail you can make with cachaca. The cranberry and lime juices and the Cointreau suggest a blended cosmopolitan, but the cachaca adds an extra bite.

2 ounces cachaca

1 ounce amaretto liqueur

1/2 ounce orange-flavor liqueur, such as Cointreau

3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice

3/4 ounce unsweetened red cranberry juice

1/2 ounce simple syrup*

1/2 cup ice

1 lime wedge, for garnish

Combine the liquid ingredients and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with the lime wedge and serve with a straw. Makes 1 serving.

Per serving: 337 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 48 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 39 grams total sugars, 47 grams net carbs, no protein, 13 milligrams sodium.

*Sugar syrup, or simple syrup, is a combination of water and sugar that is boiled over low heat until clear. Used to sweeten drinks and various desserts, it commonly uses equal amounts of water and sugar.

To make sugar syrup: In a large pot over medium heat, combine 1 cup sugar and 1cup water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a slow rolling boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a glass container and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled through.

Adapted from Mittie Hellmich’s Mini Bar series (Chronicle Books, 2007).