Batavia Arrack van Oosten, made from fermented sugarcane and Javanese red rice, is a key ingredient in classic cocktails and punches from the late 17th to 19th centuries. The spirit is produced in Indonesia and bottled without aging in the Netherlands.
This will be perceived as a very bad and rancid spirit for the less adventurous types. It has a lot of unusual flavors, but it does not hit as the proof would suggest. It’s something very good to try for someone who wants to get an idea of what Europe was crazy for centuries ago.
On the palate it is vibrant and round, filled with flavors moving so quick it is difficult to pick them; there is bread dough, and then basil and Kaffir, and finally roasted saffron and rangpur leaf.
