Cachaça is a distilled spirit made from sugarcane juice. The best known examples are from Brazil, where it is the national beverage, as there are 5000 brands on the market, produced by 30,000 firms. Most of it is consumed by the natives; only 1% is exported.

Production is simple, as the sugarcane juice is crushed and then distilled with a little water and pressed; the juice is then fermented and then distilled. Quality often depends on how good the sugar cane is, as well as the type of stills used for distillation.

Cachaça is at an alcoholic level of between 38 - 48%. Flavors are very different depending on the type of wood used for maturation; a balsamo, aged in a type pf balsam wood, has strong wood flavors, while a carvalho, aged in oak barriques, have a golden appearance with spicy, roasted nut and tobacco aromas. These latter styles are served neat and are almost never exported.

Along with being served neat, the other principal use for cachaça in Brazil is its part in the nationally famed cocktail called Caipirinha, which contains white sugar, a lime, crushed ice and optional cinnamon to go with the cacaçha. Caipirinha is served at every bar and disco in the country.