New Zealand’s finest!

Long-time drinking buddy ‘Non-stinky’ Jeff Home is current enjoying life in New Zealand and sends this guest post. After long and involved articles on 2010 Burgundy it seemed a refreshing view into a different type of drink. I hope you find it enlightening.

Over to NSJ:

Redwood Boysenberry Nip

Redwood Boysenberry Nip is sold in 750ml bottles in the Golden Bays area of South Island, New Zealand. It is sold as Boysenberry Brandy “like” at NZD$11.50 per bottle from the local supermarket here in Takaka, New Zealand. It has a very obvious and “arty” label announcing “12% Alc. Vol”.

The humble boysenberry started off as a genetic triumph out of Nottsberry Farm California – sweet huge, hardy and suited to the Pacific weather vagrancies, this berry above all the others continues to hold my attention (but never in an alcoholic way, I must admit). So I stopped to buy it and within 20 minutes as we started unpacking, I was gasping to see just how sensible my choice in afternoon tipple was.

Colour – light Cranberry juice… and very easy to see all the way to the bottom of our tea-stained camping mugs. It lacks the thick inky purple berry colour you get from the berry itself (I should not have been able to see the bottom of my mug) making it seem more like a RTD (ready to drink) party drink.

It has no nose.

Maybe that ought to serve as warning to let the exploring drinker know that something sweet and confected awaits.

I did mention a cautionary note of sweetness, one that is carefully hidden by a sharp citrus ambush of “Acidity Regulator 330”. Made less obvious by being chilled. Quite why you would need so much acid to cover the sweetness of a very, very sweet berry is beyond me. But it slipped down a treat and left me coveting the bottle.

I found this local Boysenberry Nip lacking character right across the board at all levels.

It is sold as “suitable for cooking” amongst other things. Indeed, I would add it to a trifle – or even donate it to an underage “bring-a-bottle” pool party.

It will not keep for any significant period (but some useful advice on the bottle is to keep it refrigerated until all is used up).

Time from purchase to opening the screw-cap bottle was 20 mins.

Time until bottle finished between 2 of us was 30 mins.

This beverage lasted less than 50 mins from point of purchase.

Sweet, sunny afternoon tipple. Serve chilled. Don’t expect much in terms if complexity – just sweetness.

Alas, I won’t be buying any further bottles.