Sagatiba Celebrates Summer

On Tuesday night, Brazilian Cachaça distiller Sagatiba hosted a rooftop party at the Empire Hotel right under the hotel's emblematic sign. The brand's master distiller, Gustavo Nahor, explained the history of Sagatiba to partygoers as they sipped their caipirinhas and other cachaça-based cocktails created by master mixologist Jamie Terrell.

More pictures (and a few of Jamie Terrell's Sagatiba cocktail recipes) below:

But Nahor and Terrell weren't the only cocktail masters at Sagatiba's Summer Celebration party; others included experts Anastasia Miller and Jared Brown. Having recently authored a book on the history of cachaça, Brown was able to offer some fun facts about the spirit--for example, it seems that the first mojitos were made with cachaça, not rum. Hmmm, I wonder if the hangover from those cachaça mojitos was just as bad...

Classic Sagatiba Caipirinha

Glass: Rocks Garnish: None Method: Muddle lime and sugar add, Sagatiba, cubed ice shake and serve. Recipe: ½ lime cut into segments 2 teaspoon’s of fine white sugar 2 ounces of Sagatiba Pura

Sagatiba Bikini Martini 1 1/2 oz. Sagatiba Pura Cachaça 1/2 oz. Limoncello Liqueur 1 oz. fresh lemon juice 1/2 of a fresh passion fruit or 1 oz. Funkin Passion Puree 1/2 oz. simple syrup

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with a passion fruit disc floating on top of drink. - Created by Jamie Terrell

Sagatiba Pomegranate Mojito

Glass: Rocks Garnish: Mint Sprig Method: Muddle lime and sugar, add Sagatiba and POM wonderful shake with cubed ice and serve. Recipe: 2 oz Sagatiba Pura

2 oz POM Wonderful 1/2 of a lime cut in wedges 2 tea spoons of sugar or the equivalent in sweetener

Empire Cooler

Glass: Hi- ball/ long glass Garnish: 2 raspberries on pick and mint sprig. Method: Build, Shake and strain over cubed ice and top with soda/sprite Recipe: 2 ounces Sagatiba 1 ounce lemon juice ½ ounce simple syrup 4-6 fresh raspberries or 1 ounce of puree (or other flavors) Dash soda/sprite