Bzailian standard Decree 73,267 and Law 371 of the Ministry of Agriculture defined

1. "Cachaça", "aguardente de cana", "pinga" or "caninha" are the beverages obtained with an alcohol content of 38 - 54% v/v, from the distillation of fermented sugar-cane juice. Sugar may be added to the beverages, at at rate of up to 6 grams per litre. Beverages containing more than 6 grams of sugar per litre, (and less than 30 grams per litre), will be called "sweet cachaça", or "sweet cane aguardente", or "sweet pinga", or "sweet caninha."

Aged cachaça / aguardente de cana / pinga / caninha is a beverage containing at least 50% of distillate that has been aged for a minimum of 1 year. Caramel may be added for color adjustment. The total content of congeners shall not be less than 2000 ppm, or more than 6500 ppm, on an anhydrous-alcohol basis.

2. "Aguardente of molasses" is the beverage containing 38 - 54% v/v alcohol, obtained in a single distillation of fermented diluted molasses. Sugar may be added, up to 6 grams per litre.

3. "Rum" is a beverage with an alcohol content of 35 - 54% v/v alcohol, obtained from a single distillation of fermented sugar-cane juice, molasses, or mixtures of both, maintaining the aromatic components responsible for its specific organoleptic characteristics (of rum), totally or partially aged. The total content of congeners shall not be less than 400 ppm, or more than 5,000 ppm, on an anhydrous-alcohol basis.

4. "Cane Single Alcoholic Distillate" is the product with an alcohol content above 54% v/v and below 95% v/v, obtained from the distillation and, optionally, partial rectification of fermented sugar-cane juice. It is destined for the preparation of alcoholic beverages.

In 18th century was in Paraty 200 producers of aguardente, today remains only 6 of them: Corisco, Coqueiro, Vamos Nessa, Murycana, Itatinga and Maré Alta.

In Brazil, the land of caipirinha and happiness, producing cachaça is a profitable line of business. The average consumption, considering the legal industries set in the country is 1 billion liters a year or 15 billion shots, or 1.25 billion a month, 41.6 million a day and 1.73 million an hour. But there is much more. The great volume of handmade or clandestine cachaça produced and sold, make it difficult to precise the numbers.

Names of cachaca:
abençoada; abrideira; acaba-festa; adorada; alpista; aninha; apreciada; arrebenta-peito; branca, branquinha, brasa; braseira; brasileira; bichinha-boa; acorda-o-velho; afamada; afiada;água-benta;água-bruta; água-de-briga; água-de-cana; aguada; água-forte; água-que-passa rinho-nao-bebe; água-que-gato-nao-bebe; alertadeira; alma-de-gato; amansa-sogra; amansa-corno; amargosa; antibiótico; apetitosa; arranja-briga; a-que-matou-o-guarda; arranca-bofe; atitude; azarenta; bichinha; bicho- bom; bigorna; birinaite; birusca; bribada; branquinha; briosa; cabo; catutca; caideira; calafrio; calorenta; cambirimba; cambraia; canavieira; canforada; canilina; capilé; catuta; catinguenta; chamegada; chamarisco; cipoada; cheirosinha; carinhosa; carraspana;caxaramba; caxiri; caxirim; chibatada; choraminga; chorumela; cobreira; corta-bainha; cotréia; cumbe; cumulaia; criminosa; curandeira; da boa; danadinha; desperta paixao; distinta; depurativo; douradinha; encantada; enrola-chifre; ensina-estrada; garapa; girgolina; goró; gororoba; jeribita; jurubita; lapada; limpa; lindinha; lisa; mandureba, mamae-sacode; marafo; maria-branca; mata-bicho; mata-o-velho; mel; merol; meu-consolo; nao-sei-que; papôco; papudinha; precipício; piadeira; pifao;pinga; pisca-pisca; pura; purinha; queimante; quero-mais; reiada; saideira; sacudidela; salve-ela; samaritana; sapeca; sedutora; seleta; sopapo; sossega-leao; sputinik; renitente; suadeira; sururu; tacada; talagada; tagarela; tiririca; tiúba; tijolo-quente; tira-frio; tira-prosa; tira-reima; tiririca; tiúba; tentaçao; tenebrosa; treco; tremedeira; trombada; turbulenta; uma...; uma-da-boa; uma-daquelas; valentona; veneno; venenosa; virgem-afamada; vexadinha; vuco-vuco; xaropada; xixi-de-anjo; zombeteira; zinabre, zuninga.

Legislation

The Decree N. 2.314, September 4th, 1997, regulates the Law N. 8.918, July 14th, 1994, which talks about standardization, classification, register, inspection, production and inspection of drinks in Brazil.

In Chapter IV - Alcoholic Distilled ones and Liquors - Section II - of Sugar Cane Spirits - Art. 91st : Sugar cane aguardente, caninha or cachaça is the drink with alcoholic graduation from 38% to 54% in volume, at 20oC, obtained from sugar cane alcoholic distilled or from sugar cane leavened must distillation. Sugars of until six grams per liter could be added.

• § 1st The drink that contains more then six grams per liter of sugar will be called sweetened sugar cane aguardente, sweetened caninha or sweetened cachaça.
• § 2nd It Will be called aged sugar cane aguardente, aged caninha or aged cachaça the drink that contains at least fifty percent of aged sugar cane aguardente, by a minimum period of one year, Caramel could de added for color correction.
• § 3rd The congenerous coefficient could not be inferior to two hundred milligrams per one hundred milliliters of anhydride alcohol.

On December 21st, 2001, the president of Brazil signed the Decree No 4.062 that defines 'cachaça', 'Brazil' and 'Cachaça from Brazil' expressions, as geographic indications and gives names to other procedures. In its 3rd article the named expressions could only be used to indicate that the product obeys the general rules established in Law N. 8.918, July 14th, 1994, and the Decree N. 2.314, of 4 September, 1997, and that its use is restricted to the producers established in the country. The decree N. 4.072, January 3rd, 2002, gives new writing to the arts. 81, 91 and 93 in regulation approved by the Decree N. 2.314, September 4th , 1997, characterizing 'caipirinha' as a typical Brazilian drink, exclusively elaborated with cachaça, lemon and sugar.