Cachaça and Passionfruit Cocktail
Well-balanced and easy-sipping, this Cachaça and Passionfruit Cocktail features the grassy, herbal notes of sugar cane-based cachaça, the tangy brightness of passionfruit pulp, the velvety and gentle sweetness of coconut cream, and the acidity of fresh lime juice brings it all together. This creamy and refreshing passionfruit cocktail is a mini-vacation in a glass!🍹
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Cachaça and Cocktails
Cachaça (pronounced ka-SHA-sa) is a Brazilian spirit made from fresh sugarcane juice that’s fermented and distilled—similar to rhum agricole from the French Caribbean, but with its own distinct identity. Cachaça and rum are close cousins, but they’re not the same, and the difference mostly comes down to what they’re made from and how they taste. Cachaça is made from sugar cane juice, and rum is made from molasses
Cachaça is from Brazil—it’s the country’s national spirit and has been made there for over 500 years. It’s deeply tied to Brazilian culture, cuisine, and history, and it’s legally protected as a uniquely Brazilian product – just like how Champagne must come from France. You’ll see it used most famously in the Caipirinha, but it’s also sipped neat, and used in all kinds of tropical cocktails.
My first experience with cachaça was 20 years ago when we had the pleasure of a Brazilian foreign exchange student living with us for a year. His parents shipped us 3 bottles – including 1 that his grandfather made – so that he could make us Caipirinhas.
When I started thinking about doing another passionfruit cocktail (I did chilcanos de maracuya in 2017), I wanted to do something less familiar. We have only rarely bought a bottle of cachaça, but I really love it. Given that it’s another tropical spirit, I was confident these ingredients would pair well. Rounding the cocktail out with fresh lime juice and coconut cream resulted in a beautifully-balanced cocktail perfect for a warm day on the patio.
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- cachaça – While rum and cachaça are similar, cachaça is less sweet, more herbal, and has a raw sugarcane character that makes it feel rustic and vibrant. I have not tried an aged cachaça, and don’t know if it will play well in this cocktail. You can substitute rum if you prefer (or have it on hand).
- passionfruit pulp – I buy frozen passionfruit pulp most of the time. We can get them locally for a few weeks every year, but they’re extremely expensive. For this cocktail, the frozen is fine. If you use fresh, you can strain it or not.
- coconut cream – In the past, I’ve used canned coconut cream, but I found this bottled brand, and it’s very convenient when all you need is a little. NOTE: Coconut cream is a very thick, sweetened coconut product. This is different than the unsweetened canned coconut milk used in many Asian and tropical recipes.
- lime juice – Please use fresh lime juice! It really does make a difference.
- garnishes – A simple lime wheel is really all you need, but toasted coconut flakes, lime peel, even a bit of pineapple would be good as well. See this video for lime garnish ideas.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
strain into glasses, garnish, and enjoy!
❓FAQ
Our local liquor store only carries 2: Ypióca Prata and Leblon Cachaça. They were out of the Leblon Cachaça, so I went with the Ypióca Prata. It is not ranked well (3/10) in the Cachaça Challenge. However, it is quite adequate in this tropical cocktail.
We like a large rocks glass (see photos), but you can use wine glasses, highballs, etc. The cocktail itself is only about 4 ounces total, and it is poured over ice.
💡 Tips
Choose a decent bottle of cachaça. You DO NOT NEED a top-shelf brand in a cocktail with all of these flavors. See Ingredients Notes above for more information.
Summer cocktails are appropriate in sub-tropical McAllen, Texas year ’round. We really enjoy this one on the patio on a warm evening. Enjoy!
Cachaça and Passionfruit Cocktail Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 ounces cachaça
- 1 ounce passionfruit pulp
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice
- ½ ounce coconut cream - see Ingredients Notes in Post
Instructions
- Fill cocktail glass about 2/3 full with ice.
- Add all cocktail ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glass, and garnish as desired.
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
I loved this cocktail. Although it’s probably the closest thing to a tiki cocktail that I’ll ever drink, the combination of tropical flavors is really outstanding. Maracuya goes really well with cachaca.
No tiki cocktails at Andersen casa… I promise!