Batavia-Arrack van Oosten

The ghost of cocktail history, bottled. Before rum ruled punch bowls, there was Batavia arrack — the funky cane spirit of Java that 17th- and 18th-century traders carried home to Europe, named for the Dutch colonial port that's now Jakarta. Van Oosten, imported by the heritage-spirits specialists at Haus Alpenz, revives it the original way: Javanese sugarcane fermented with the local secret — cakes of red rice that kick off a wild, aromatic fermentation — then run through pot stills and rested before shipping. At a full 100 proof it delivers a one-of-a-kind profile: funky, grassy, and floral like a cousin of rhum agricole, with smoke, dried fruit, and a whisper of incense. The essential spirit for historical punches, the backbone of Swedish Punsch, and a tiki-bar secret weapon — split it into a daiquiri and watch the drink get interesting.

Spirit Details:

Category: Batavia arrack — pot-distilled sugarcane spirit (rum's older Indonesian cousin)

Base / Production: Sugarcane fermented with Javanese red rice cakes; pot-distilled on Java, rested before shipment

ABV: 50% (100 proof)

Origin: Java, Indonesia (historic Batavia, modern Jakarta)

Producer: Van Oosten — imported by Haus Alpenz

Bottle Size: 750ml