What’s Sumatra with You?

Wonderous Potions

Yawn.

I know - recovery and energy drinks are flooding the beverage markets and come in manifold colourful variations that promise everything from hydration to performance enhancement.

I hardly ever feel the urge to use them, if not for the occasional can of wings as a last resort when needed.

Numerous trips to Asia have acquainted me with the little vitamin laden shots that have become omnipresent in the Eastern regions of said continent, which were seemingly a major inspiration for Shojo Tonic: Etymologically named after a spirit of the seas dedicated to the celebration of life, Shojo is a functional drink that brings the merit of their Asian equivalents to the Western market.

Touted as a “wellness drink”, Shojo has become one my go-tos --  no matter if I need a pick me up after an extended workout session or after a night out indulging in less savoury pleasures. Packed with turmeric and its essence curcumin, a barrage of vitamins Shojo does a fine job combatting fatigue and confining inflammation as well as effects that harm the liver.

In essence, Shojo takes what has been refined traditional Asian medicinal practises and in Japan over the last thirty years and infused it with their own flavour.

While Shojo is doing its job, I would not miss my beloved coffee for anything else.

When I heard of carbonated coffee it intrigued me – naturally because I do love all things sparkling and I adore coffee, so I had to test drive it.

After a bit of trial and error I came across the first Australian variant, that goes under the guide of Strange Brew, which comes in three flavours, i.e. Original, Ginger and Blood Orange.

While “mixing sparkling water and cold drip coffee that has been steeped for four to eight hours” sounds straight forward, there is a “je ne sais quoi” x-factor component that makes it an interesting concoction that is not quite like any other caffeinated drink.

I would not go as far as claiming that Strange Brew is the equivalent of caffeinated champagne, but it for sure makes for a refreshing pick-me-up that quenches thirst as well.

Read previous insallments of What’s Sumatra with You?.

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Lead photo by T, others provided

The Offspring.

A band I’ve always had an interesting relationship with.

Interesting in that I have yet to come across a musical emission from them that I do not like. Be it their debut on Nemesis Records or what followed and catapulted them to become one of the biggest bands out of the realm of oozing ah-ing melodic punk rock Californian bands. The fact that their breakthrough happened when it was a tough time for any hardcore punk warrior, i.e. #the year punkdied made it a bit more complicated for a teenage version of myself to really get behind them. I never subscribed to the concept behind the notion of having guilty pleasures, but seeing local jocks showing up to “our” shows in Offspring and No FX gear was not a pleasant sight.

Either way, The Offspring’s Smash album is one solid melange of hits that has stood the test of time. I revisited it recently during an extended run and it instantly became apparent that while Offspring are not exactly known for experimenting a whole lot, they have an idiosyncratic sound that works on many levels.

The fact that Offspring singer and lyricist Dexter Holland not only rested on his laurels as an MTV icon but pursued a PHD in and eventually started his own hot sauce company only added to the appeal.

Late 2018 saw The Offspring descent on terra australis to headline the Good Things festivals in all major Australian cities to celebrate “Smash” in its entirety. Needless to say that each show was a fulminant hit fest that saw the band belt out their hits in fine form.

Being a hot sauce aficionado, I felt like this was the right time to shed light on Dexter Holland’s excellent range of hot sauces that are being sold worldwide under the banner of “Gringo Bandito.”

Now, rest assured that I was weary as I was worried that it could be a half-assed attempt of a novelty sauce that is legitimized by celebrity endorsement, yet the reality could not be further from that: Turns out that Dexter has spent a large number of years almost scientifically researching and perfecting his own blend of peppers and spices – research the culminated in one delicious range of hot sauces, whose three pepper combination ( the triumvirate of Habanero, Jalapeño and Red Japanese Chili Peppers) give it depth and versatility that works with literally anything.

Gringo Bandito reminds me of the core heat of Sriracha crossed with a reduced version of Tabasco, one of my old faithfuls as it is hot but not just hot for novelty hotness’ sake. The smell alone is an experience, reminiscent of the tropics of Mexico with dominant habanero notes.

The hotness is not so much on the nose but subtle: It’s well calibrated, not overpowering and locked in at a level that would please both the occasional dabbler in hot sauce as well as the hardcore aficionado.

Needless to say that the packaging is an exercise in detailed labelling with an eye-catching twist of incorporating the California/Mexico flag colour schemes.

In essence, Gringo Bandito offers a fun, savoury flavourful and tantalizing hot sauce range and with that is a natural extension of what The Offspring epitomizes as a band.

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Lead photo by T, others provided

The Lock-In

Curious Cartel

The Wanderer

Sydney, Australia

December 22, 2018

First things first: Curious Cartel is a conglomerate of seasoned creative types that have honed their respective crafts in the realms of production, specifically pulling the strings behind the scenes in the domain of TV productions. Their endeavours eventually evolved to a stage where they created their own idiosyncratic trademark offerings, which comprises immersive experiences, theatrics and the love for a good cocktail as common denominator, resulting in engaging events with a twist that lead the participants down rabbit holes.

The Lock-In is Curious Cartel’s recent incarnation. Heavily influenced by the TV show Stranger Things, a love for 1980ies nostalgia, science fiction, science and confined within escape room settings in Sydney’s Surry Hills, you got ninety minutes to solve puzzles and illuminate the mystery while being sustained by cocktails and a soundtrack from an era where shoulder pads reigned supreme.

Set against the backdrop of small town Indiana, you and your team work their way through a lab, an abandoned government facility and science class, The Lock-In takes more than a few pages from the Stranger Things, including an equivalent to the alternate dimension “Upside Down”. The fact that The Lock-In is more of a subtle homage than a mere rip-off contributes to the fun.

One of the things that struck me immediately was the production value and immaculate attention to detail as you are taken on a fully rounded journey simultaneously captivating and demanding,

With both big gestures and tiny references, The Lock-In is beautifully executed and both subtle and inspired.

Given the rich and condensed experience the heads behind Curious Cartel are able to create within the confines of the limited space they have at their disposal, I cannot wait to see what they are pulling next – hopefully on a bigger scale.

Water of life – Fortaleza Tequila

Let’s take the highway to Mexico to shed light on some premium tequila, shall we?

Disclaimer: When I talk of drinking tequila, naturally I do not mean the emission that you have to shoot and frame with salt and lemon to get it down your hatch. We are talking sippin’ and enjoying the finer nuances and flavours that unfold after it has been produced in a manner that honours traditions, i.e. using brick ovens, crushing agaves with large stone wheels and allowing for fermentation to happen in an open-air environment. Tequilas that are of a quality where mixing them for Margheritas would be blasphemy.

You do not “like tequila”? Well, you might have not tried good one yet then.

Enter Fortaleza Distillery.

Fortaleza’s unaged Blanco Tequila was the first of their range I have had the fortune to be exposed to. Its earthiness won me over straight away, which is flanked by sweeter blue Weber agave notes and a delightfully warm and finish. The fact that it is serenaded by an intriguing scent does not hurt either.

What meets the eye are Fortaleza’s hand-blown glass bottles, which not unlike the idiosyncratic unique bottle tops are made by artisans. The attention to detail is immense and the packaging is a natural extension of what the flavours promise.

Now, good start but let’s take it up a notch:

Fortaleza Añejo Tequila.

The main difference to the expression is the fact that it is being aged in wood oak barrels for up to three years.

It proves to be difficult to find something about this small batch drop from Guillermo Erickson Sauza’s Fortaleza Distillery: Aged for eighteen months, it comes with a complex melange of flavours that are expertly calibrated at the sweet spot between sweetness and profound light oak. Once it hits your tongue it feels velvety and the spicy caramel notes that meet fruity undertones makes it a near ideal sipping tequila, whose rewarding butterscotch finish leaves one lusting for more.

The Fortaleza family quartet is completed with a Blanco that hits a bit harder as it clocks in at Still strength and a silky, deliciously balanced Reposado variant, which follows the maxim of the Fortaleza Distillery, i.e. no additives, traditional artisanal production and resulting flavours that unfold their depths in every sip.

No matter if you are a Tequila aficionado or if you want to step up your game from the one with the plastic bottle top sombrero one, you’d be hard-pressed to find one of Fortaleza’s range of smooth and natural tequilas that will let you down.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photo by T

Water of Life – Brix Distillery

What’s in a name? Before it gets too Shakespeare-an, let’s delve into science, shall we?

In a very confined nutshell, “Brix” is defined as the sweet tasting soluble carbohydrate content of watery solution, i.e. with one-degree Brix being equivalent to one gram of sucrose in hundred grams of liquid.

Given that the fine young gentlemen at the helm of Brix Distillery, i.e. Damien Barrow, James Christopher and Siddharth Soin, channel their alchemy to produce rum, the etymology informing their name makes perfect sense.

Tucked away in Sydney’s Surry Hills, their outlet is a welcoming nicely open and flowing melange of modern distillery, bar area and eatery framed by nicely curated, colourful yet tastefully subtle wall adornments that set the scene for a holistic operation that has the distilling of their core range of rums at its heart.

The equation: Different constituents informed by an overarching holistic approach result in a harmoniously themed whole.

The bar is an extension of Brix Distillery’s core business, proffering over hundred rums from all corners of this earthround with knowledgeable bar staff keen to assist to help induct the uninitiated and help aficionados undiscovered gems.

Fortified with a cocktail based on Brix’ White Rum, freshly crushed cane juice – the distillery’s own sugar cane press comes in handy - , lemon and soda a tour of the distillery par was given, were light was shed on how molasses from Queensland are mixed and heated with H2O before reducing the temperature in the fermentation tank where the result is mixed with a mix of champagne and Caribbean rum yeast. Once the yeast has down its job, the water / ethanol hybrid is channelled to the custom-made copper pot. The fact that the pot is multi-plated ensures that all impurities are removed and in the distillate being basically drinkable straight from the still. After diluting and condensing it further, the liquid emission is matured in ex wine barrels

After the tour, we were ushered to a mezzanine barrelling room where the blending exercise was to take place.

Sustenance came from in different courses, which not only drew on South American flavours but also offered cheese, whose texture and tastes help to highlight the subtler notes of the rums’ notes.

While a range of rums were at hand for the actual blending exercise, the unaged Brix White was a welcome starter: With its fresh aroma and the extensive fruitiness that unfolds itself on the palate, it culminates in a warm, elongated finish that I would not have expected from an unaged rum in this form. While I can see it making a great base for getting creative in the realm of cocktail mixing, it makes for a nice sipping rum.

However, my favourite of the evening was Brix Gold (40% ABV): A blend of five and eight-year-old rums sourced from Barbados aged in Bourbon casks.

Feeling normally more at home in whisk(e)y territory, I find it to be an immensely enjoyable sipping rum that with its tropical character and hints of vanilla underpinned by an oaky finish goes almost too well with a nice IPA.

Apparently, Brix Distillery has recently launched a spiced variety, which I am yet to experience, and which sounds interesting to the extent where it would warrant a separately dedicated feature.

Summa summarum, Brix Distillery and its emissions has firmly established itself on my radar – a radar whose coordinates are usually heavily informed by single malts and tequilas – so I can only imagine what a delightful experience it must be for the seasoned rum aficionado.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by @k.a.vv