Goon: The Best in Australian Local Wine

 Photo by: Bigstockphoto

Photo by: Bigstockphoto

From the outback to the beautiful beaches, Australia is known for its natural landscapes and amazing wildlife. Whether you’re travelling for the first time or for the nth time, you know that a trip to Australia is never complete without sampling its many local spirits. Perhaps, one of the most popular among all alcoholic beverages you will come across the outback is Goon.

So What’s Goon?

Goon is a local fine wine, a delicacy among Aussies but drank mostly every night by backpackers and tourists alike. The spirit is made from fish and eggs. The drink, which is also known as Box Wine or Cask Wine, is so popular in the country that it became a part of the Australian heritage.

Goon is essentially a wine in a box. The box features a plastic dispenser on the bottom. This package is called the Goon bag and it was invented by renowned wine maker, Tom Angove. Tom just put a couple of liters of wine into a bag, put the bag in a box, and had the design patented in the mid-60s.

What makes Goon such a novel drink among local youths and backpackers alike is not the taste (some say it tastes terrible) but the price. Because it comes in boxes, Goon is dirt cheap. It will get you nice and drunk cheaply and quickly.

Drinking Games and Silly Traditions

When alcohol is involved, you know there will be a lot of silly traditions and drinking games. Drinking Goon is no different. Locals and tourists have developed fun ways to consume the drink.

In Australia, a new Goon-related tradition was created by several backpackers. You literally slap the bag of goon before drinking it. You will have to open the container of the Goon, take out the bag that’s holding the wine (called space bag), slap it, and drink away. The bag can be passed around like a beer bong and whoever’s turn to drink Goon has to spank it first. This tradition is so well known that you will see many locals and tourists doing it or wearing shirts with “Slap the Goon” on the front.

After the Goon had been consumed, the wine box is worn as a hat. In some weird instances, Goon boxes were turned into a raft.

Preparing Goon

Most Aussies will recommend drinking it ice cold and straight but it’s best mixed with other spirits. The most popular way to prepare the drink is to mix it with Coke. Just like how rum and Coke goes beautifully together, Goon and Coke together makes a fine drink. You can get creative and mix Goon with other fizzy drinks like Sprite, Fanta, etc.

You can also mix Goon with various fruit juices. You can even spike your smoothie with Goon if you feel so inclined. Goon goes well with cranberry juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice drinks.

Because Goon is a wine, you can even use it for cooking. You can substitute the wine with goon in any recipe that requires it.