Leblon

Leblon goes down under !

We are very happy to announce Leblon Cachaça’s launch in Australia this past February. Following the launch, our Professor de Cachaça Jacob Briars went Down Under to host a series of Leblon master classes for leading Australian bartenders, showcasing the best Leblon cocktails from Brasil and around the world. It was a very successful visit, with Australian bartenders eager to get their hands on an artisanal alambique cachaça for the first time. The access to fresh fruits, eagerness of bartenders to try new things, and of course the very Brasilian climate make Australia a great new market.

In the last decade Australia has given birth to perhaps the best and most innovative cocktail scene in the world, with some very talented bartenders in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and around the country. Here are a couple of our favorite cocktails from a few of the country’s best new bars:

São Conrado Canvas bar team, Brisbane

Brisbane is Australia’s tropical capital, with a booming bar scene and a great array of bartenders, many of whom now tend bar at Canvas Lounge, one of the most awarded new bars in the country. The ‘São Conrado’ is a fresh, zesty spin on classic Tiki-style drinks, with a refreshing sweet and sour character and a lovely burst of Leblon Cachaça.

45 mls (1 1/2 oz) Leblon Cachaça
20 mls (2/3 oz) fresh lemon juice
30 mls (1 oz) fresh pineapple juice
30 mls (1 oz) spiced pineapple syrup
10 mls (1/3 oz) dark rum to float
Mint sprig to garnish

In a Cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients except the rum and mint with ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a large rocks glass fill with cubed ice, then add a ‘cap’ of crushed ice. Float dark rum on the surface of the drink, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Terra Astuto Andrew Cameron, Canvas, Brisbane

40 mls (1 1/3 oz) Leblon Cachaça
20 mls (2/3 oz) Cynar
15 mls (1/2 oz) Yerba Matē and Perella syrup
1/2 a passionfruit
Pork crackling (optional garnish)

Combine the passion fruit flesh, Leblon, Cynar and syrup in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir well. Strain over a large ice cube into a rocks glass, and garnish with pork crackling.

Cristo Martinez Jeremy Shipley and Kass Hill, Hinky Dinks, Sydney 

Hinky Dinks is a new and very popular cocktail bar in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, a small bar that references the golden age of cocktail drinking in 1950s America. The ‘Cristo Martinez’ is a twist on the classic Martinez cocktail, the forerunner of today’s Martini, and is a quick, delicious cocktail that showcases the versatility of Leblon Cachaça.

45 mls (1 1/2 oz) Leblon Cachaça

15 mls (1/2 oz) Martini Rosso vermouth
10 mls (1/3 oz) St Germain elderflower liqueur
5 mls(1/6 oz) maraschino liqueur
2 dashes of peach bitters

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice, and stir well for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini or cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon zest.

Legalize Cachaça – For Real!

 

Let the Games Begin!

Many of you have participated in our grassroots campaign to have Cachaça recognized in the United States as a distinct spirit of Brazil. Starting with the Declaration of Cachaça Independenceat the Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in July 2009, we have been working hard to educate and mobilize support to‘Legalize Cachaça!’ Driven by our grassroots organization – C.R.N.V.L. (Consumers for the Repeal of Needlessly Vague Labeling Laws!) – many of you have participated in our ralliesand have signed our petition to ‘Legalize Cachaça’, which was proudly presented to Mr. John Manfreda at the U.S. Government Authority, the T.T.B.

As a result of your support, the U.S. government has agreed to begin proceedings to allow the recognition of Cachaça as both ‘Cachaça’ and as a distinctive product of Brazil. In return, the Brazilian government has agreed to recognize both Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon as distinctive products of the United States. This week, U.S Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade Fernando Pimentel exchanged the official letters that launch the process of formal recognition.

In addition to your support, this is the result of a lot of hard work and persistence from people behind the scenes, including John Manfreda and his team at the TTB; Carlos Lima, Tony Haynes and the Institute of Brazilian Cachaça; and government officials at the USTR and the Brazilian equivalent, the MRE. In particular, many of our customers and distributors wrote directly to the TTB, which was very helpful in getting the TTB’s attention and support.

This is a big step in our mission for people around the world to recognize the greatness of Brazil’s national spirit, Cachaça. Made from fresh sugar cane, and not molasses, Cachaça is truly something special. Distilled in a single batch alambique potstill and polished in XO Cognac casks, Leblon Cachaça is even more special.

So to celebrate the ‘Legalize Cachaça’ news (as well as Leblon’s winning of the ‘Best Cachaça’ and two Double Gold medals at last month’s 2012 San Francisco Global Spirits Awards), we are hosting this week ‘Legalize Cachaça’ Happy Hours at these dates, times, and locations:

New York: Lani Kai – Friday April 13, 6-8pm
Miami: Novecento - Thursday April 12, 6-8pm
Chicago: Union Sushi - Thursday April 12, 6-8pm
Philadelphia: Alma de Cuba – Friday April 13, 7-9pm
Rio de Janeiro: Fasano – Friday April 13, 6-9pm
São Paulo: Mocotó – Friday April 13, 6-9pm | Mani – Friday April 13, 6-9pm

Delicious Leblon Caipirinhas will be served, including celebratory special Leblon Açai Caipirinhas made with Leblon and Cedilla (a cachaça-based liqueur infused with açai berries and made by the Maison Leblon) in the US, and shots of Reserva Especial in Brazil.

Please visit our Facebook Page and Website for announcements of other ‘Legalize Cachaça’ parties around the country and around the world.