Featured Box
COPACABANA BOX
Many spirts exist in the world, and while they remain relatively unknown in the cocktail culture of North America, their popularity in their countries of origin is unquestionable. Cachaca is one such spirit, as it is the most popular alcohol in Brazil, but is still little known in our neck of the woods. This is not from lack of quality however, as many brands often match or outstrip the complex flavor profiles of some of the world’s best rums or tequilas, spirits to which Cachaca is often compared. Distilled using fresh sugarcane juice, opposed to rum which is fermented using sugarcane by-products, the result is often a much brighter and invigorating flavor profile, with diverse layering and intriguing complexity. Perfect for refreshing, warm weather cocktails, this understated spirit is slowly making its way into wider cocktail culture, and this month’s box, Copacabana, is very representative of this spirit’s potential to be recognized along with other liquors in the top echelons of cocktail bartending in North America.
The Crafty’s Caipirinha is a version of the archetypal Cachaca cocktail in the world. Brazil’s national drink, it is simple yet extremely refreshing and complex, stemming from the unique profile of Cachaca which is paired with raw sugar and lime. The Black Star blast your palette on an interstellar adventure, combining blackberry jam, lime and green apple with Cachaca’s distinct characteristics, all topped off with a whimsical green apple star garnish. Coco’s Assistant will help you temporarily forget about your monotonous list of daily tasks by transporting you to a Brazilian beach, with creamy coconut and tangy lime heightening the tropical elements of the base spirit.
Caipirinha (Kai-Per-Een-Ya)
Although not very well known in North American cocktail culture, you would be hard pressed to find a Brazilian who is unfamiliar with the Caipirinha. After all, it is the national drink of Brazil. Derived from the Portuguese word caipira, a term for Brazilian country-dwellers, this name suggests that simplicity, good, honest work and quality of ingredients are the key. The result is a refreshing, nuanced and balanced drink that will surprised even the most discerning of drinkers. Sweetness from raw sugar plays against the sour of fresh lime, enhancing the intricate and multifaceted layers that exist within a high quality Cachaca. A fantastic opportunity to break in the start of warm weather, introduce your palette to the amazing world of Cachaca in the way it is supposed to be enjoyed, with a quintessential Brazilian cocktail.
Black Star
1st Bartender’s Log, USS Crafty Cocktails… We have recently encountered a strange yet extremely intriguing new drink in the furthest reaches of deep space. Our long-range scanners identified a faint flavor signal in the distant Imbibulon nebula of sector 11, causing us to shift course and investigate. Upon arrival, we discovered a previously unknown cocktail exhibiting a curious deep purple color which, according to our sensors, was the result of the presence of the Jam Goddess’ Naked Blackberry jam. After further inspection, we observed residual elements of Token Cherry bitters, lime and green apple, the latter being greatly enhanced by a distinct star-shaped garnish in suspended animation. At its core, it seems to be derived from a complex Cachaca, a strong contributing factor to its intricate flavor profile. Further inspection is underway, however the expedition team seem to be enjoying themselves too much to produce any verifiable results in the immediate future.
Coco's Assistant
We all need a little help sometimes, and if we’re lucky, we have someone in our life who makes our daily catalog of tasks easily achievable. However, many of us are without personal assistants, so we turn to cocktails to help ease the sometimes overwhelming mountain of responsibilities we all face. This cocktail is for just that; a tropical, easy drinking and refreshing mixture which will, at least momentarily, help lessen the burden. Creamy and sweet notes of condensed and coconut milk contrast with a sour hit of lime and a hydrating blast of coconut water, all enhanced and balanced by the presences of a complex base of Cachaca. While it won’t complete any of your duties for you, this wonderful drink may at least help you forget they exist for even a few minutes, and really, what more can you ask for?
Trust your Bartender
Everybody has their favorite spirit, but also have spirits they’re not so crazy about. These opinions are built over a lifetime of experiences; that bartender who made you the most amazing vodka cocktail you’ve ever tried, that one time you drank too much tequila… there are endless factors that may contribute to our own personal opinions towards particular types of alcohol. While these biases are completely understandable, a Crafty Cocktails box subscription is all about education in the world of cocktail creation, and it is very hard to learn new things if you don’t step outside your comfort zone. We strongly encourage you to make your cocktails with the recommended spirit for the month, even if you think you don’t like it. If a recipe is well balanced and acutely aware of the flavor profile of its given base spirit, the result can surprise even the most discerning of palettes. Conversely, an attempt to substitute the recommended alcohol for another simply because of personal preference can result in disaster, as flavor profiles tend to clash rather than compliment each other. The recipes in a Crafty’s curated box are just that, curated to suit a particular base spirit. Trust our bartenders, they know what they’re talking about; let them show how something you thought you disliked, can become something you absolutely love.