Chacha is the national alcoholic beverage of Georgia, but residents of almost the entire Black Sea coast of the Caucasus consider it their own. Some mistakenly call chacha Caucasian vodka, which is fundamentally wrong. If you focus on the production technology and the raw materials used, then this drink should be classified as brandy. This kind of drinks should not be translated in vain, knocking over a glass for a glass. It will be much more reasonable to follow the established traditions of their use. It is especially important to learn how to drink chacha correctly, should those who go to the Caucasus and do not want to offend the owners, violating the culture of alcohol tasting, which they are rightly proud of.
What is chacha
Only a few Georgian and Abkhaz enterprises are engaged in industrial production of chacha, but they do not produce it in such quantities as to export in large quantities. Even in the Caucasus, it is easier to buy chacha from your hands or on tap, than to find a bottle with the coveted drink in the store. Taking into account the fact that chacha of home-made is mainly presented on sale, its taste, aroma and strength can vary greatly.
Initially, grape-cake, left over from the production of wine, and poorly grown grapes served as raw materials for chacha. They were poured with water, fermented without the addition of yeast, distilled once or twice. The result was a distillate, the fortress of which could reach 70 degrees.
The same technology is used today, however, they use not only grape cake, but also marc from other berries and fruits. If earlier chacha was a purely grape brandy, today it can be tangerine, peach, apricot, fig or other fruit brandy. Depending on the number of distillations and the degree of concentration of the drink, which can be diluted with water, the strength of chacha ranges from 45 to 70 degrees. Chacha is more often stronger than that produced at the plant, usually its strength is 55-60 degrees.
More often you can meet white, that is, transparent chacha, but sometimes it is also darker. This means that the drink was aged in oak barrels for 6-36 months or insisted on nut membranes. Such drinks have a milder taste and a delicate aftertaste, sometimes with hints of raisins or other dried fruits.
Usage Features
Traditions associated with the use of chacha, not so much, but they should be remembered, given the cautious attitude of Caucasians to respect for traditions.
- The common opinion that chacha is being drunk during a feast is wrong. This noble drink is drunk alone or as an aperitif. To the table is served not chacha, but wine. In Georgia, it is presented to dear guests and is drunk in the morning in order to “disperse the blood”, especially if the weather is cold. In Abkhazia, they drink before meals, sometimes alternating with wine, which is fraught with rapid intoxication and a heavy hangover.
- The temperature of chacha before serving depends on its quality. The refined drink, which has a rich bouquet without the admixture of the smell of home brew, is served at room temperature. This chacha can even be heated in the hands, like brandy, so that its aroma opens well. If you drink a mediocre drink, it is advisable to cool it to about 6 degrees in order not to feel an unpleasant odor that may emanate from it.
- The dishes from which chachu is tasted are different from the containers from which it is customary to drink brandy. Chachu served in small glasses or stacks. Their capacity should not exceed 50-60 ml. The optimal dose of drink - 30-40 ml.
It is not customary to dilute and drink chacha, but it can be eaten.
How to chacha
In different regions of Georgia chacha snacks in different ways. Some prefer to seize her sweets, for example, churchkhela, others - pickles. In Abkhazia, they will offer everything that is delicious in the house to tea.
It will be right to serve any dishes of Caucasian cuisine, both sweet and savory, to the cup. Well suited satsivi, chakhokhbili, kebabs, khachapuri.
Fruits will also be a good addition to the cup. They are often included in cocktails, in which chacha plays the main role. Often, the composition of such cocktails also include fruit juices and mixes.
Cocktail “Tbilisi Fix”
Composition:
- chacha - 50 ml;
- cherry liqueur - 45 ml;
- lemon juice - 30 ml;
- sugar - 5 g;
- ice cubes - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Pour all three drinks into the shaker capacity, add sugar.
- Shake for 30 seconds.
- Fill a glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in cocktail.
The glass can be decorated with a cocktail cherry and a slice of orange.
Georgian Peach Cocktail
Composition:
- chacha - 60 ml;
- peach liqueur - 20 ml;
- lemon juice - 10 ml;
- crushed ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Whip drinks in a shaker with ice.
- Strain.
- Pour into a martini or wine glass.
The drink can be decorated with a sprig of mint or a spiral of orange zest.
Chacha Cocktail with Strawberry
Composition:
- chacha - 50 ml;
- strawberry liqueur - 20 ml;
- lemon - 1 pc .;
- chicken egg - 1 pc .;
- strawberries - 2 pcs .;
- ice - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Cool beverages and pour into the shaker tank.
- Squeeze lemon juice, pour it to alcoholic beverages.
- Wash the egg thoroughly. After breaking, separate the white from the yolk.
- Place the protein in a beverage container.
- Shake for 40 seconds.
- Pour into a narrow glass filled with ice or simply chilled.
- Cut the berries in half, put them in a glass - they will serve as a cocktail decoration.
The cocktail looks seductive and has such an enchanting aroma that it is hard to resist. Despite the fact that the drink is strong, the ladies like it very much.
Chacha belongs to the category of brandy, is made from grape or fruit marc by distillation. However, the culture of drinking has its own characteristics that differ from the rules of tasting brandy. It is worth knowing about them, as the inhabitants of the Caucasus, which is the birthplace of chacha, respect the traditions.
