From aquavit to sotol: The global spirits hit list

One cocktail rules them all in Brazil: the Caipirinha. In classic South American fashion, it’s a simple blend of sugar, lime juice and white spirit that is way beyond the sum of its parts – one of the reasons being Brazil’s unique national spirit, cachaça.

Cachaça is sort of like white rum in that it’s a clear spirit distilled from sugarcane but, whereas rum is usually distilled from molasses, cachaça is made from sugarcane juice. The resulting spirits – like Sagatiba Cristalina Cachaça – are usually light bodied, carry a touch of sweetness and have some distinctive grassy, earthy and fruity notes. It’s a winner in Brazilian classics like the Caipirinha and Rabo de Galo but, honestly, sub it in anywhere you’d use a clear spirit to inject a little southern flair.

Grappa is an Italian spirit that’s a type of pomace brandy, which means it’s distilled from all the bits that are left after wine is made, like skins, seeds, stems and pulp. Traditionally, grappa has been a great way to avoid waste in winemaking but, these days, it’s becoming a bit more of a boutique craft spirit.

Grappa is traditionally a clear, unaged spirit served after a meal, often alongside coffee. The grape it’s made from can make a difference and you’ll often see this as a specific selling point – as in the case of one of our favourites from Luigi Francoli, made from the rare erbaluce grape. It’s spicy and clean so best served neat, but it would add a real dimension to a bitter Negroni.

Slivovitz is a fruit brandy (the world loves brandy, what can we say?) made exclusively from Damson plums. So popular is this particular plum brandy that you’ll find it all over Southeastern Europe in places like the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia, with each country linking their national slivovitz with unique traditions, production practices and servings.

If you’re popping through the Balkans, definitely try the multitude of local variations. If you’re staying home, though, we recommend starting with something like Maraska Sljivovica, a Croatian spirit that preserves the natural fruitiness of the Damson plum. Serve it in any of the classic forms – neat, chilled and straight, or warm (ideally as part of a Mulled Wine or cider). Otherwise, sub it anywhere you’d use a brandy – like a Brandy Alexander.

Whether it’s pickled to add a salty-sour pop to rice dishes, brewed like tea or turned into a sweet plum jam, Japan’s love of the ume plum is very real. For us, there’s one more preparation that beats them all – umeshu.

Umeshu is made by steeping unripe ume plums in shochu (a Japanese neutral spirit) and sugar, resulting in a sweet, sour, relatively low alcohol (10–15% ABV, usually) liqueur. Examples like Choya Golden Ume (which preserves a bunch of the titular ume in the bottle of the bottle) are traditionally served over ice, but highball-style (that is, topped with soda water) is a good bet, too. Or use it in Wen Wang’s El Zesty Panta, which puts a different spin on the Marg.

Calvados is a type of apple or pear brandy from Normandy in France. To make calvados, apples and pears are picked (and there’s hundreds of types to choose from, ranging from tart and bitter to sweet) and fermented into a dry cider, which is then distilled into a spirit. Age it for at least two years in oak and you have your brandy.

Like a lot of the aged brandies, there’s a huge spectrum of quality and flavour to choose from but, generally, you’ll get fresh apple and pear flavours backed up by leather, wood, dried fruits and nuts. Bottles like Godet Calvados Michel are best sipped neat from a wine glass or fluted spirits glass, allowing the aromas to really develop and the spirit to ‘open up’.

Aquavit (or akvavit) is all about caraway seed, which gives the spirit a cooling, juniper/aniseed sort of flavour. It’s by far most popular in the Nordic countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway, but aquavit shouldn’t be overlooked if you’re hunting for a unique, delicious spirit for your bar cart.

Like so many spirits, there are rules here (it has to have either caraway or dill seed as the main botanical) but there’s plenty of scope to innovate. Classically, that might mean adding flavourings from flowers, herbs or berries, but aquavit can also benefit from some barrel ageing – as in our pick from Det Norske Bryggeri, which is aged in Oloroso sherry barrels. Traditionally, aquavit is served neat or with a beer, but the botanical bill means this could easily sub for gin in your favourite cocktail or a G&T.