IT'S THE national spirit of Brazil, but until recently, we'd never even heard of it (though our perpetually thirsty staff is now making up for lost time). A close cousin to rum, cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAH-sa) is the main ingredient in the caipirinha (which also features muddled lime and sugar), a drink that many consider a natural successor to the mojito craze. A handful of higher-end cachaças have quietly entered the US market in the last couple of years, and local bartenders have begun taking advantage of the spirit's potential. Which leads us to Leblon. An ultra-premium white cachaça that's named for a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Leblon won the Double Gold Medal at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it was also named "Top Cachaça" by an elite group of industry insiders. It's made from carefully chosen fresh-pressed Brazilian sugar cane that's distilled only once (to preserve the cane juice's fruity aroma). It then sits for an average of 30 to 90 days in vintage cognac casks before being blended and triple-filtered. The result? An ultra-smooth cachaça - which produces a crave-worthy caipirinha. The folks at Leblon also have developed a number of variations on the drink, including the Watermelon Smash Caipirinha, the Caipirinha Up, and the Tangerine and Honey Caipirinha (visit www.liveloveleblon.com for recipes), and the spirit also works as a substitute for rum, vodka, and tequila in other cocktails. Have a taste for yourself at Domani (51 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.424.8500) or Sasso (116 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.247.2400), or pick up a bottle ($27.99) from the Wine Emporium (474 Columbus Avenue, Boston, 617.536.5545).
