Rum
What is Rum and how is it made?
Rum is made by distilling fermented sugar and water. When sugar cane juice or other sugar-based liquids are allowed to rest, a natural process of fermentation occurs where sugars are converted by yeast into alcohols, at approximately the strength of wines. This sugar comes from the sugar cane and is fermented from one of the following raw materials: 1) Fresh Cane juice, which is fermented immediately after being crushed. This raw sugar cane liquid contains 18 – 24 percent sugar in solution. Rums made from fresh sugar cane juice include Cachacas from Brazil. 2) Molasses -- a by product of the crystalline sugar making process. Molasses is over 50% sugar and is used in most of the rums produced in the world. 3) Cane Syrup – also called sugar cane honey or sweet table-grade molasses. Cane syrup may contain more than 90% sugar.
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The ABCs of Brazil's National Spirit, Cachaça
What is Cachaca? How do you say it? How do you use it? And is it a Rum or not? As the fastest growing spirit in the United States, more and more Americans are discovering Cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil. Unique only to Brazil, Cachaça is pronounced ka-SHA-sa, with the emphasis on the ‘SHA.' Like Hefeweizen, Fahrvergnugen, and Pinot Grigio, Cachaça is a foreign word easy to mispronounce - at least initially. Cachaça's cocktail sidekick, the Caipirinha, is the national cocktail of Brazil (pronounced kai-pur-EEN-ya, with the emphasis on the third syllable).