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Bitter in Brazil Cocktail Drink

Bitter in Brazil Recipe

Gavin Wrigley Written by Gavin Wrigley
Our straightforward Bitter in Brazil recipe brings warmth to your winter! The blend of cachaça, orange curaçao, Punt e Mes, Fernet Branca and a hint of Demerara sugar makes it the go-to cocktail for frosty days.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 1 minute
Servings: 1
Calories: 242

Ingredients
 

  • 1½ oz Cachaça
  • ¾ oz Orange Curaçao
  • ¾ oz Punt e Mes
  • 1 bar spoon Fernet Branca
  • 1 bar spoon Demerara Rich Syrup
  • Orange zest twist - for garnish, optional

Equipment

  • Old Fashioned Glass
  • Measuring Jigger
  • Mixing Glass
  • Cocktail Strainer
  • Stirrer or Bar Spoon

Instructions

  • Prep Glass: Fill an Old Fashioned or Rocks glass with ice. Give it a stir to chill it and set it aside.
  • Add Sugar: Measure and pour 1 bar spoon Demerara Rich Syrup into the mixing glass.
  • Add Fernet Branca: Add 1 bar spoon Fernet Branca.
  • Add Punt e Mes: Add ¾ oz Punt e Mes into the stirring glass as well.
  • Add Curaçao: Add ¾ oz Orange Curaçao.
  • Add Cachaça: Finally, pour 1½ oz Cachaça into the mix.
  • Add Ice and Stir: Fill the mixing glass with ice. Using a bar spoon or a long stirrer, stir well (for about 15-20 seconds). Give it a taste and stir a bit more if you feel like more dilution is necessary.
  • Strain: Remove the ice in the Old Fashioned glass and refill it with fresh, new ice cubes. Using the cocktail strainer, strain the mixture into the chilled glass.
  • Garnish: Garnish with an orange twist (express the orange zest on top of the drink and then place it on the rim of the glass or drop it directly inside). Serve immediately.

Notes

Substitutes:

  • Cachaça: If you don't have cachaça, white agricole rum is a good substitute; it is also made from fermented sugarcane juice and has a strong sweet and botanical flavor.
  • Orange Curaçao: You can use another type of orange liqueur such as a Triple Sec (Cointreau works well, for example) if you can’t find any curaçao. 
  • Punt e Mes: If you don’t have any Punt e Mes, the closer substitute would be Cocchi Dopo Teatro. If this bottle isn’t available either, you can use a 2:1 blend of sweet vermouth and Cynar or Averna to create your own substitute.
  • Fernet Branca: You can simply omit it or replace it with an extra bar spoon of another amaro such as Punt e Mes, Averna or Cynar.
  • Demerara Rich Syrup: You can easily make your own rich syrup by combining 2 parts Demerara sugar and 1 part water over low heat (let it cool down before using and store in the fridge). If you don’t have Demerara sugar, brown sugar works perfectly as well. 

Making a Pitcher of Bitter in Brazil:

  • Scale: To make a pitcher that serves 8, multiply all the ingredients by 8. That would be 12 oz of Cachaça, 6 oz of orange suraçao, 6 oz of Punt e Mes, 1 oz of Fernet Branca and 1 ounce of Demerara rich syrup.
  • Mix: Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher. Add ice and stir well.
  • Serve: Strain to remove the ice, serve immediately into ice-filled Old Fashioned glasses and garnish each glass with an orange peel. If you have some leftovers, be sure to keep it in the fridge (make sure no ice cubes are left inside) in an airtight container.

Making it Non-Alcoholic:

  • Cachaça Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic white rum substitute; these are available and reasonably mimic rum's sweetness.
  • Orange Curaçao: You can use a dash of orange syrup as a substitute. You can easily make your own by infusing orange peels in simple syrup for two days; you can keep it longer for a stronger flavor, but just make sure to keep it in the fridge at all times. Another option would be to use two or three dashes of orange bitters: 2 dashes of bitter in an otherwise alcohol-free drink won’t raise the overall ABV of the drink. The drink will indeed chemically contain a drop of alcohol, but won’t make you intoxicated at all. Depending on your reason for not drinking alcohol and your degree of tolerance on the topic, this can also be a suitable option.
  • Punt e Mes & Fernet Branca: Opt for a non-alcoholic aperitif or for bitter soft drinks such as Crodino (prefer the red one) or San Bitter.
  • Proceed As Usual: Use these non-alcoholic substitutes instead of the regular ingredients, follow the original steps, and enjoy a non-alcoholic version.
However, keep in mind that, as the Bitter in Brazil cocktail is solely made out of alcoholic ingredients, it can be hard to recreate its flavor using only non-alcoholic substitutes; the overall flavor and mouthfeel will probably change greatly from the original drink. In order to make the perfect mocktail version of this drink, you may have to revise the quantity of each ingredient depending on the specific substitute you decide to use.

Making it Vegan:

This cocktail is already vegan-friendly as it doesn't contain any animal products. However, always check your ingredients' labels to ensure they're suitable for vegans.