Festa Cocktail
By Robert Hess
Cachaça is a Brazilian spirit made from sugar cane, and therefore is similar in nature to a rum, or more correctly a rhum agricole. While not as popular a cocktail ingredient as rum it still holds a lot of potential. I created the "Festa" to try to represent a relaxing and refreshing Spring cocktail, but with enough flavor components to make it interesting as well.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 oz Cachaça
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz raspberry syrup
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liquer
dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Instructions
Shake with ice.
Strain into rocks glass filled with ice.
Top with soda.
Comments
Really looking for ward to making this one. I’m a huge fan of cachaca and Canton. Hopefully soon that gingery goodness will be distributed here in New Orleans, “cos I’m runnin’ low.
Was nice to see this one - completely set my mood for having the honor of helping prep for an event at The Museum of the American Cocktail with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry!
Kimberly, I am SOOO jealous that you are going to be at Jeff’s seminar to night in New Orleans, that really looks like a good one.
I personally think that “Exotic” style drinks such as I’ve tried to embody in the “Festa” don’t quite get the level of respect that they should. Some bartenders embrace them, many don’t, and then there are some who simply slap them together without much care about what they are doing. Hopefully folks like Jeff Berry can make a bit of a dent in this perception, and allow serious bartenders to see the potential of these drinks.
Robert, interesting drink, but I missed your typical verbage. While there is no history behind the drink, it would have been interesting/helpful to hear how you decided on the ingredients. Did you try something that didn’t work? Maybe it is just me, but I missed you squeezing the lime in the video too. Like you said the process is important, so by having the lime juice already to go, it didn’t feel as authentic.
While it might seem like nitpicking small things, I believe it is those small things that make the biggest difference and why your videos here, are the best I have run across on the web while I have been trying to learn about cocktails.
Thanks for the input Brian! I was thinking that you guys see me squeeze fresh juice SO much, that it probably isn’t necessary to waste time on that in every episode. Plus I’m sort of experimenting with seeing if shorter “bite sized” episodes get more traction. It will be interesting to see how these fair. The rest of you should chime in on what things you’d like to see more or less of in these shows. We take your feedback seriously.
You know, it’s been interesting in my journey as a bartender and meeting and learning from others that the best mixologists in the country do respect and love a properly made exotic drink, even if none are represented on their menu. It was surprising at first, and then in researching and learning about the exotics - they present the biggest challenge. Multiple rums , exotic juices, honey-butters, ices, creams all trying to find the right balance and mouthfeel. Not everything has to be brown and stirredto be good or valid.
One sunny afternoon, I had a wild hair, and made my husband and I Pina Coladas with fresh ingredients - i went all out. As we were watching the sun set over the glamorous aluminum sided Jersey City, my husband took a sip, looked at me and said, “We gotta stop makin’ fun of people who like these.” I couldn’t agree more.
You know, it’s been interesting in my journey as a bartender and meeting and learning from others that the best mixologists in the country do respect and love a properly made exotic drink, even if none are represented on their menu. It was surprising at first, and then in researching and learning about the exotics - they present the biggest challenge. Multiple rums , exotic juices, honey-butters, ices, creams all trying to find the right balance and mouthfeel. Not everything has to be brown and stirredto be good or valid.
One sunny afternoon, I had a wild hair, and made my husband and I Pina Coladas with fresh ingredients - i went all out. As we were watching the sun set over the glamorous aluminum sided Jersey City, my husband took a sip, looked at me and said, “We gotta stop makin’ fun of people who like these.” I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks for listening. I am just one person so what I want to see may not make sense with the majority of viewers. Keep up the good work.
Sorry my comment went in twice. Me no how use magic box.
I’m with Brian, here, I like hearing a little more background. Since there’s no history to this drink, I was thinking you might talk some about cacha
I briefly covered Cachaca back in the “Bar Tools” episode… but I suppose it’s not a bad idea to re-discuss some of those topics again… heck, how many times now have I repeated myself about the importance of freshly squeezed juices, or cutting the lemon twist “over” the drink? :->
Kimberly: “We gotta stop makin’ fun of people who like these”... I can see that on a button! Or perhaps even a nice poster to promote exotic cocktails!
First, looking forward to making the drink. Also, I agree with the previous gentlemen, on more discussion on the ingredients, technique, inspirations for your own creations etc…
You sight, the lemon twist over the drink lesson——that’s made all the difference in my dry martinis, I had never read or heard about that anywhere else. I would assume that anyone who has just discovered your great videos has gone back (or will) and check them all out, but I don’t find it redundant to beat these techniques into us when applicable.
Thanks for another drink to try.
I also notice a couple of things about the way you’re using the Parisienne shaker here, I can’t recall if you’ve always used it this way. First, pouring the ingredients into the inverted top, which looks like a steel goblet when used like that. And then you seem to use a more swirling, circular motion with your shake than usual, which plays off of the round-shouldered Parisienne shaker’s shape, as opposed to the back-and-forth motion you use with the straight-sided, flat-bottom Boston shaker.
I enjoy hearing Robert talk about the drinks as well. I think that’s what is always the most interesting. I mean, I could read the reccipe to learn how to make it, but hearing about the history of the drink is always really fun. Usually whenever I am making a drink for the first time for someone I will do the same thing for them. It’s all for that friendly bartender spirit.
I agree wholeheartedly with many of the above comments. The depth of discussion of the history, and particularly for me, the theory, if you will, of the cocktails is what makes this podcast truly wonderful, so I would never complain if there were more!
In other words, anyone can tell us “here’s a drink that tastes good”, but you manage to explain to us WHY it’s good.
I have to agree with everyone so far. We can read a recipe book if we just want to learn the amounts of each ingredient. But your videos, Robert, contain much more information than that and it is what makes me keep coming back.
I agree too :) More story behind the particular cocktail & spirits.
I don`t agree with the remark about lime squeezing and other well known actions that have been done and talked about a dozen times during other episodes. They just take time & bandwidth :) Good thing you`ve cut them out. Everybody knows by now that fresh juices are essential for a good drink.
Keep up the good work!
...and of course, we could always use this space to “fill in the blanks” :->
“Everybody knows by now that fresh juices are essential for a good drink.”
However, people that watch only a few of the videos on the first page will not get that drift if they aren’t told so in every video. Furthermore, you can always use the time squeezing the lime for going deeper into the history of the drink and what makes it particularily special.
I also miss the old fotos on the video overview page, where you could see all ingredients used. The fotos with the white background make them look all the same. Some color, some type of glass, some letters to form the drink’s name. Not much to raise my interest.
Greetings from Germany
Ruben
Great episode Robert!
I agree that stories (and the way you tell them) are one of the keys for the success of
Thanks Robert for more Cachaca recipes! Cachaca and Canton are two of my favorite “go-to” liquors at the moment. My favorite Cachaca is Fazenda Mae De Ouro, awesome stuff!
I make a lot of caipirinhas these days, can’t seem to get enough…also like to add a half ounce to one ounce of Caton Ginger to my caipirinha now and then for a little kick. Will have to add this to the recipe book! Thanks again!
Robert;
Teacher thank you very much for sharing this recipe with us.
The cocktail looks delicious, I hope to try it soon, I hope that one friend brings a bottle of Domaine de Canton ginger liquer.
the next time he travels to Argentina
Boca Loca Cacha
@Frederico Cuco
Seems like you have some pretty good options there. Anisio Santiago is quite a gem (save it for sipping or an Old Fashioned)! In the other hand I think that in this drink you might want to opt for a lighter bodied unaged cacha
Tony, thank you very much for your advice.
I’ll try an old fashioned made with cachaca Anisio Santiago.
And to prepare a “festa cocktail” one of the cheap Cacha
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