Australias Most Famous Drink - GOON

What is GOON?

Most people in Australia know it, most Backpackers drink it almost Daily and basically it is a controversy Drink. On the one side it is a cheap alcoholic Drink that ice-cold or mixed can even taste pretty good, on the other side, it can be digusting and might contain remains of Fish and Eggs. Although some optimistic mates say: “well then it is like a whole meal”.

History

The Invention of GOON was in 1965. An Australia mate called Thomas Angove from South Australia was the first person, who patented wine in a Carton Box. He put one Gallon, which is 4.5 liters of wine into a box and sold it. This was the moment GOON has been created. Later on the Box and the container has been optimized and in nowadays GOON is in a Plastic Space-bag and that Space-bag is in the Carton Box. One of the reasons why GOON is so cheap is because obviously the Carton Box is way more economic than bottles.

The Space Bag

The Space bags are waterproof and many GOON users were pretty creative when it comes to use them. The most popular one is the so called “GOON Crown”, when one uses the Carton Box as a hat. Moreover it is possible to blow up the Space bags and use them as a pillow. The most magnificent invention I came across was the GOON Raft. This was when some of my Mates actually built a Raft with some Sticks and plenty of blown up Space bags.

Slap the GOON

This is something special and became famous for Back-packers and other Travellers in Australia. Created by a Mate in Byron Bay, it all started with the idea that you literally need to slap the Space bag before drinking. The effects of slapping the GOON are still discussed and not scientifically proofed but nevertheless the idea became a Brand and now “Slap the GOON” is popular all over Australia and you can find people wearing Slap the GOON shirts every where over the country and since not too long you can even buy “Slap the GOON”, GOON, which is a GOON brand named after Slap the GOON.

Discussion

First of all the Space bag method is more economic for the wineries and additionally more environmental friendly. Especially for travellers boxed wine is simpler to carry with and lighter. The price with around A$ 10 for 4-5 liters is basically the cheapest alcohol you can buy in in Australia. More over the Space bag allow the wine to last longer because it simply cannot oxidise in the bag, so that it stays fresh for days and some travellers claim that it even stays this way for several weeks, although I cannot confirm that.

One of the disadvantages of the Space bag is that it does not keep the wine untouched for years like an unopened bottle does. The expiration date is sooner and you should finish the wine before it expires or you could suffer from serious stomach problems. Critics also argue that GOON tends to encourage binge drinking and allows alcoholics a cheap alternative to other alcoholic drinks. That is why in some areas in Australia you are not allowed by law to buy GOON until 4 o´clock in the afternoon.

First Class Brands

Referring to first class brands I basically mean the ones that you can drink even pure without mixing them, not more, not less. GOON is always something special and no matter how you drink it, do not expect a firework of flavour.

Probably the most popular Brand is the “Golden Oak Fruity Lexia”, which you can buy all over Australia. Additionally you can buy the Golden Oak as Dry, Medium Dry or even Red but to be honest, never ever buy a red GOON! It was the worst Hangover I ever had in Australia and if you want to drink red wine, go for the bottled ones. However Golden Oak is one of the “better” GOONs, which you can drink even without mixing. This was also my favorite when I was in Australia and every time I had the chance to buy it, I most certainly did. The flavour is sweet and not that strong but I would recommend to this one and all other kinds of GOON, that you drink it ice-cold or mixed but more about that later. The other quite good tasting GOON is the Sovereign Point. From the Price/Alcohol Ratio, this is the one to buy. It has 10%more content and is around 2% stronger. In case you simply want to get drunk, this is the one to buy, the taste is also not too bad.

Second Class Brands

Coolabah, Kaiserstuhl, Berri Estates, Sunnyville or Stanley are GOON brands that are like every GOON taste unique but not that good. Drinking them ice-cold or mixed is recommended.

Mixing GOON

As mentioned before GOON is not every bodies cup of tea. Mixing GOON is a method that can enlarge the quality of your drink and add flavour. Hereby I want to give you some ideas for your own combinations:

Juices

GOON can basically be mixed with every kind of Juice and afterwards tends to taste way better, more juicy and provides you with a broad variety. My favorite combinations where GOON with Cranberry, Pineapple or Orange juice. Of course it is up to you which flavour you prefer.

Coke

The Combination of GOON and Coke is quite popular and for many Travellers this is the way to go. The same is applicable for Sprite, Fanta or every other Soda based drink you like. Again it totally depends on your favorite flavour.

Other Ideas

Basically you can mix GOON with everything you want. Remember that GOON is wine and you can even make a bowl or cook with it. So be creative and let me know in case you have a good idea.