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The national Georgian alcoholic drink chacha, which has become widespread throughout the entire Caucasus region, has long earned a well-deserved popularity in the post-Soviet space. In every sip of this elixir of Caucasian longevity, memories of the warm sea, flowering valleys, picturesque mountains and inimitable cuisine lurk.
However, many chacha lovers know little about this distinctive drink. Therefore, we offer everyone a small alcohol-ethnographic sketch on this topic.
Find out what is the difference between grappa and chacha.
What is chacha made from?
Let’s start with the fact that chacha is not vodka. They prepare real chacha from grape pomace mainly in eastern Georgia – Kakheti.
For the production of chacha, the Rkatsiteli grape variety is used, which grows exclusively in eastern Georgia and from which the famous Georgian wines are produced, both according to European and Kakhetian technology – by fermentation along with pulp and combs. It is by distillation that the original chacha is obtained from the solid mass remaining after the production of these wines.
The western regions of Georgia are famous for their soil and climatic conditions, large stocks of various fruits and berries grow here, as a result, they also make chacha, but the Georgians themselves do not consider it as such, preferring to call such a drink brandy.
If you are offered to try chacha made from the Isabella grape variety, you should know that this variety in Georgia is a hybrid and grows mainly in the western part of the country – Guria, Imeretia, Mengrelia, Abkhazia, Adjara, but recently production from this variety has significantly decreased .
There is also a variety called Kachichi – it is very old and rare, it is very rare to find chacha from this grape.
They also make from grapes: liquor and liquor, tincture
How to store chacha
The drink we are interested in is best stored in glass bottles stored in a moderately cool dark place. With plastic containers in this case, it’s not worth the risk. Strong alcohol stored in it for a long time can acquire an unpleasant technical aftertaste.
Hair – degrees
If you are asked: how many degrees are in a cup, you can safely answer: “a lot”. In fact, this is one of the more addictive brandies. The strength of the average home distillate ranges from 55-60 revolutions. The store factory version contains 45-50 degrees. If you’re looking for thrills, you’re more likely to find a thermonuclear 70-degree drink. At the same time, due to its fruit and berry essence, the insidious Georgian aquavita is extremely easy to drink.
What is the taste of chacha
Like all grape and fruit distillates, traditional Georgian strong alcohol has a mild, tart taste. At the same time, the classic grape drink has a pleasant raisin aftertaste, especially pronounced in yellow chacha. Of course, if we are talking about fruit, herbal and nut tinctures, then in this case, the corresponding flavors will definitely be present.
How to drink chacha and what to eat
The classic way
As a rule, Georgian pomace brandy is drunk in small doses from small glasses. If we are talking about a quality drink, then it should be at room temperature so that you can fully enjoy its aroma. If you got a simpler distillate, it should be cooled to a temperature of 5-10 ° C; then you will not be bothered by its characteristic not very pleasant aftertaste.
Georgian country classic
A glass of a warming drink, drunk on a frosty or just cool morning before working in the fresh air. At the same time, residents of the western part of the country prefer to throw something sweet into their mouths as a snack (for example, grape or fruit churchkhela); the inhabitants of eastern Georgia, in this case, prefer pickles or pkhali.
Chacha in Abkhazian
Served as an aperitif before the main meal. True, it must be borne in mind that the subsequent meal itself is accompanied by wine libations. Before drinking chacha with wine, it is worth thinking about the consequences three times.
Well, of course, it’s nice to have a few glasses of chacha for all kinds of Georgian dishes: both first and second, both cold and hot, both snacks and sweets. True, in this case, it should be borne in mind that the Georgians themselves consider it a sign of bad taste to use chacha during family festivities or any other solemn feasts.
Based on the distillate we are interested in, there are also a certain number of cocktails; for example: “Sakartvela”, “Tbilisi”, and “Georgian Peach”. However, they are mainly drunk by Tbilisi majors and Western tourists seduced by them. And, to be honest, chacha, in our opinion, is far from the most successful ingredient for cocktails, since the ice added to them significantly muffles the original flavor of the Georgian distillate.
Calorie Chacha
Like all varieties of brandy, the drink we are interested in is a rather high-calorie thing. Its energy value is 225 kcal per 100 g. True, if you decide to join the joys of a very nutritious Georgian cuisine in an adult way, then the calorie content of the drink accompanying it should worry you last.
Chacha: benefit and harm
In moderation, Georgian distillate is an excellent warming and anti-cold remedy. Although, it should be recognized that when fighting a cold, it is much more appropriate to add strong alcohol to tea with honey and lemon than to use it in its pure form.
In addition, this drink, again in reasonable doses, is able to have a decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect.
Also, the mentioned type of brandy helps to improve digestion and speed up metabolism.
And finally, moderate consumption of this strong drink will increase the tone of the cardiovascular system by raising arterial blood pressure.
What’s the harm Transcaucasian elixir for our body, then in addition to the usual warnings associated with the use of alcohol, it is worth considering such a feature as handicraft production of the drink. The fact is that during its distillation, local winemakers do not separate the resulting alcohol into fractions. Accordingly, highly toxic fusel oils contained in the tail fraction of the distillate get into the drink. And even subsequent cleaning is not able to completely correct the situation. Therefore, having uncorked the treasured bottle, once brought from sunny Transcaucasia, be moderate and prudent.
Relevance: 18.02.2017
Tags: brandy and cognac