In Fiji, for example, guests at a kava ceremony are invited to drink the entirety of what is offered to them, in one gulp, if possible.
But as McCormack discovered – via a trip to a local hospital for treatment for dehydration – sakau is much stronger and recommended to be sipped, with the shell usually passed in order of prominence of the attendees.
Speaking to the Guardian on Friday, McCormack was in good spirits, saying he had downed five shells of kava in Vanuatu the day before his sakau experience and didn’t expect it to hit so hard.
“I was trying to be respectful – I really took one for team Australia,” McCormack said.
“They made it in front of us, squeezing the juice out of these massive tree roots, just absolutely squeezing it. It had a peppery essence and I was OK for 10 to 15 minutes and then I thought, ‘ooooh, OK’.
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