Cachaca Pitu Do Brasil Premium Brasil Spirit 70 cl 38%

In Pernambuco the rivers run towards the Atlantic through cane fields that have been there since colonial times. Down in the water lives a small freshwater prawn the locals call pitu. It gave the house its name, and it still sits there in bright red on every single label.

The expert's description

Cachaca Pitu Do Brasil Premium Brasil Spirit is an unaged Cachaca made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice in Pernambuco in north-eastern Brazil and bottled at 38%.

The company was founded in 1938 in Vitória de Santo Antão, an old sugar town inland from Recife. The name comes from Engenho Pitu, the sugar estate where it all began, and the prawn in the river named first the estate and later the spirit. Pitú is today the largest cachaca exporter in Brazil, and for a great many drinkers this bottle is the first cachaca they ever held.

Cachaca is made from the juice of the cane, pressed and fermented while it is still fresh. Rum works the other way round and generally starts from molasses, the heavy syrup left behind once the sugar has been drawn out. Two different starting points, two different flavour pictures: the cachaca keeps the field in it, while the rum tastes of the refinery.

Pitú is a clear cachaca with no time in wood. There is no cask to round the edges off, so the raw material stands right at the front: green cane juice, a dry peppery note and the faintly soapy floral edge typical of the style. The house names three things as the whole of its production, the cane, the water and the yeast, and that recipe has run unchanged for decades.

Tasting notes

Nose

Freshly pressed cane, close to biting into a raw stalk. A light floral tone sits behind it, along with a hint of wet stone.

Palate

Dry and direct. The cane juice arrives first with a green, almost grassy sweetness, then the alcohol takes hold with black pepper and a sharp mineral edge.

Finish

Short and clean. The pepper drops away quickly and what remains is a dry, green tone with enough backbone to stand up to lime and sugar.

Specifications

Name: Cachaca Pitu Do Brasil Premium Brasil Spirit 70 cl 38%
Distillery: Pitú
Region/Country: Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, Brazil
Type: Cachaca
ABV: 38%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice
EAN no.: 4000269003428
Serving suggestion: In a Caipirinha with lime and cane sugar, or in a Batida shaken with fresh fruit juice

Flavour profile

Green · Sugarcane · Fresh · Peppery · Dry

Did you know?

Pitú makes more than cane spirit. Since 2007 the house has also had its own vodka, Bolvana, on the books, and over the years a lime expression and a cola version have come out of the plant in Vitória de Santo Antão as well.

See our full range of Cachaca

Frequently asked questions about Cachaca Pitu Do Brasil Premium Brasil Spirit 70 cl 38%

What does Pitú taste like?

Fresh sugarcane, black pepper and a dry green edge. It has spent no time in wood, so there is neither vanilla nor caramel to hide behind, which keeps it sharp and immediate. That is exactly the profile a Caipirinha is built around.

Is cachaca the same thing as rum?

No. Cachaca is fermented from the juice of freshly pressed sugarcane, whereas Rum is almost always made from molasses, the thick syrup left over after sugar production. Both come from cane, but the raw material makes cachaca greener and more vegetal than even a light white rum.

Why is there a prawn on the label?

Because pitu is the name of a freshwater prawn living in the rivers around Vitória de Santo Antão. The sugar estate the house grew out of was called Engenho Pitu after that very creature, and the red crustacean silhouette has been on the bottle ever since.

What goes into a classic Caipirinha with Pitú?

Half a lime cut into wedges, two teaspoons of cane sugar, crushed ice and five centilitres of Pitú. Muddle lime and sugar together in the glass so the oils from the peel come along, fill with ice and stir well. No shaker, no syrup.

What difference does 38% make in practice?

The drink lands slightly milder than it would with a cachaca at 40%. The gap is most obvious when it is sipped neat, where 38% gives a softer entry. In a Caipirinha with lime and sugar it is hard to detect at all.

What is a Batida?

A Brazilian drink where cachaca is shaken with fruit, juice and often condensed milk. Passion fruit and coconut are the most common, and Pitú suits that treatment because the green cane note manages to stay above water in sweet company.

Where in Brazil is Pitú made?

In Vitória de Santo Antão in the state of Pernambuco in north-eastern Brazil. The region is one of the oldest sugar districts in the country and the place where the Brazilian cane spirit tradition started. North-eastern cachaca is generally regarded as more robust and saline than the southern Brazilian style.