Australian former deputy prime minister falls unwell after downing potent kava drink

CNN
 — 

A tour of the Pacific region took a woozy turn for one Australian politician after he downed a cup of a traditional drink in one hit.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack was visiting the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia to celebrate 35 years of bilateral relations while touring the Pacific in a delegation, when he was offered sakau – a type of Micronesian kava – as a ceremonial drink.

Kava is a traditional non-alcoholic drink made from the kava kava plant, which encourages relaxation.

“In a bid to show my respect to local traditions I drank the whole bowl of sakau,” McCormack tweeted Thursday.

In some parts of the Pacific, a bowl of kava is typically drunk in one go. But McCormack soon realised the potent, Pohnpei-specific kava was a different beast altogether.

In a video of the ceremony…

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