Cachaca Chocolate Brigadeiro: International Cachaca Day

Today is International Cachaca Day. Cachaca is famous as the main ingredient in caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil. Cachaca is a liquor made from fermented sugarcane, and is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil.

I first tasted cachaca in Brazil when I was there on a Fulbright. What a great liquor.. a bit like rum.. but not. In my search for the very best pinga, as it is colloquially called it, we found ourselves one day in the back country at a large still. Surely we had wandered into the back hills of Kentucky. The men operating the still, probably not a legal endeavor, had the wild look of way too much alcohol of too high a percentage. Nevertheless, the many memorable cachaca drinks stayed with me, and now I find cachaca at bars and liquor stores in the U.S.

For the recipe today, I decided not to post a cocktail recipe, although there are many chocolate cachaca drink recipes, but instead for that fabulous Brazilian treat--Brigadeiro. Of course, I always want a chocolate version. This is a great chocolate 'adult' version of this fudgy truffle candy. Recipe from Luxury Experience using Leblon Cachaca. The Leblon distillery is in Patos de Minas in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The area has a great microclimate and high altitude and produces taller and juicier sugar cane. What makes Leblon Cachaca different from other cachacas is that Leblon uses XO Cognac casks to 'rest' the liquor for up to six months to smooth and round out the flavors. Leblon Cachaca is 40% alcohol.

The following recipe is  easy--and delicious. Of course you can use any brand of Cachaca you have!

CACHACA CHOCOLATE BRIGADEIRO

Ingredients
1 14 oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 Can Milk (use Sweetened Condensed Milk can)
1/3 Can Leblon Cachaça (use Sweetened Condensed Milk can)
2 Tablespoons Dark Cocoa
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Jar Chocolate Sprinkles (Jimmies)

Directions
In medium pan, add sweetened condensed milk, butter, cocoa and milk, and stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat stirring with a long handled wooden spoon until mixture starts to thicken approximately 10 minutes, and then add Leblon Cachaça.
Continue stirring while cooking until chocolate mixture comes away from sides of pan and starts to look dry-- approximately 13 minutes.
Pour in a bowl and let cool.
When completely cool, butter your hands, use teaspoon amount of chocolate and roll into ball, and then roll ball in chocolate sprinkles. Complete process until all of chocolate is used.
Put candy in paper cups (or on parchment paper), and set in refrigerator until ready to eat.