Alcohols & Liqueurs
Cachaça
Cachaça is a Brazilian spirit distilled from fermented fresh sugarcane juice, bottled at 38-48% ABV. In gelato it works as a pure anti-freeze and flavor agent: its ethanol strongly depresses the freezing point (very high PAC) while contributing no sugar, fat, milk solids, or sweetening power.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 0% |
| Water | 66.6% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 0% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 0 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 248.2 |
Typical use: 1-4% of the mix (about 0.4-1.6% pure ethanol); rarely above 5%, or the gelato will not set and stays soft.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Alcohol delivers powerful freezing-point depression with zero sweetness, so cachaça is dosed in small amounts to soften texture and add a sugarcane note without unbalancing the sugar profile. Ethanol scores a PAC of 743 per 100 g of pure alcohol, and a 40% ABV spirit holds 33.4 g of it per 100 g, so the bottle contributes about 248 against 100 for sucrose and even a few grams noticeably lowers hardness and improves scoopability. Note that the 7.4 factor is per gram of ethanol, not per degree on the label: applying it to the 40 degrees would give 296 and overstate the spirit by about 20%, because a 40% ABV bottle is only 33.4% alcohol by weight. It adds no POD, no total solids and no body, meaning it must be counted only in the PAC budget while sugars and solids are balanced separately. Use it in caipirinha, lime, passion fruit, coffee, or tropical gelatos where a Brazilian character is wanted. Keep total added spirit low so the mix still freezes and sets correctly.
Origin & background
Cachaça emerged on Brazilian sugarcane plantations in the 16th century, shortly after Portuguese colonization, making it one of the oldest distilled spirits in the Americas. Under Brazilian federal law it is a protected denomination reserved for cane spirit produced in Brazil at 38-48% ABV at 20 C. In 2013 the United States TTB formally recognized cachaça as a distinctive product of Brazil, distinguishing it from generic aguardente de cana (upper limit 54% ABV).
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacha%C3%A7a
- https://www.ttb.gov/system/files?file=images%2Fpdfs%2Fpress-releasefy1305-cache-td.pdf
- https://cocktailwonk.com/2018/06/going-brazilian-cachacas-regulations-demystified-translated.html
- OIML Recommendation R22, international alcoholometric tables: 'q = (rho20 / rho20(100%)) x p', with 789.24 kg/m3 the density of pure ethanol; table IVb gives 40 %vol = 33.30 %mass and 37.5 %vol = 31.09 %mass, the conversion from label degree to grams of ethanol per 100 g: https://www.oiml.org/en/files/pdf_r/r022-e75.pdf
- Dairy Science and Food Technology, 'Ice cream hardness': 'Alcohol (ethanol) | 46 | 7.4' in a table whose factor is the molecular weight of sucrose divided by that of the solute, i.e. PAC 740 per 100 g of ETHANOL, not per degree of the bottle: https://www.dairyscience.info/cheese-dairy/ice-cream/228-ice-cream-hardness.html
- Jo Pistacchio, 'Sorbetto Spritz': 'L'alcol etilico ha un Potere Anti Congelante (PAC) pari a 743, contro il 100 dello zucchero saccarosio', converting degrees to grams with the 0.79 specific gravity of ethanol: https://www.jopistacchio.it/sorbetto-spritz/
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/174817/nutrients (USDA FoodData Central, distilled spirit at 80 proof: 66.6 g water and 33.4 g alcohol per 100 g, the composition of any unsweetened 40% ABV spirit including cachaca)