Chacha is a very strong distilled drink made from grapes that is popular in Georgia. Most chacha that I have encountered while abroad has had a concentration of at least 50%, with the highest alcohol concentration being 81%. Despite this absurdly high alcohol content, good chacha is shockingly smooth and can be enjoyable to drink. Properly made chacha is said to have no hangover associated with it, and, according to my host father Vazha, chacha simply makes you tired while comparable drinks like vodka make you belligerent.
A shot of chacha and a slice of lemon. This was the strongest chacha I ever encountered in Georgia at 81% alcohol. However, it was prepared with honey, rosehip, and anise so the flavor was quite enjoyable. This is also why it is brown, unlike most chachas which are clear.
Chacha is offered at practically every restaurant and Georgian families commonly distill their own chacha. My first time trying chacha was with my host family. My roommate Jesse and I had just finished dinner and our host father Vazha decided to bring out a bottle of their homemade chacha. He poured a round of shots, which are each 100 g here, and (visibly) psyched himself up for the drink. He then said a toast to our meeting and we all swallowed our shots. It was very strong but the quality was good enough that the cups of компот (kompot; a type of fruit juice common in Eastern Europe and Russia) were more helpful than necessary. After a similar second round, I expected us to be done, but Vazha explained that we must drink three rounds because of the Holy Trinity. Altogether, it was a very enjoyable first experience, made safer because Vazha was there to guide us through it.
There are several basic traditions and rituals practiced when drinking chacha. First, there must be a toastmaster. The toastmaster says a toast giving thanks for friendship, health, the opportunity to be together in the moment, or something else. It is very important for there to be a reason to drink. Next, everyone must sit up straight while drinking. Good posture is part of the process most Georgians seem to go through to mentally prepare themselves before they consume such a strong drink. Finally, as the Holy Trinity is three unique persons in one God, it is proper to drink three rounds of shots in one chacha session.
In my host family’s house, only the men would drink chacha, but there is no stigma around women drinking it. I believe the cause of this is much more likely my host mom Marina and her adult daughter Tamuna simply disliking such a strong drink.
A bottle of chacha. At 45% alcohol, this is relatively weak. Most chachas are between 50 and 60% alcohol.
Chacha is often consumed with закуски (zakuski), a Russian word for snacks and candies that are eaten while drinking. My host family usually put out plates of fruit from their дача (dacha; countryhouse), Georgian chocolates, hard candies, and pastries. Chacha is also usually accompanied by a chaser of some sort. This may be a slice of orange or lemon or a cup of компот (kompot). While generally necessary because of the strength of chacha, high quality (and therefore smoother) chachas and flavored chachas may not require a chaser. Responsibly drinking chacha is a very fun and unique experience that I will miss in the United States!