How do you drink kava?

Traditionally it is strained root prepared in water and drunk from a shell; in modern formats it comes ready to drink as a shot or a pour.

• Strained root — kneaded in cold water, strained, drunk from a bowl
• Instant kava — stirred into cold water, drunk straight away
• Single-serve shot — taken neat, one pack
• Kava spirit — poured over ice or mixed into a longer drink

Cold, not warm. Warm kava concentrates the earthiness and there is no benefit to heating it. Chilling is the single easiest thing you can do to improve the experience.

Expect the numbing. A tingling or slightly numb sensation on the lips and tongue arrives within about a minute. That comes from the kavalactones themselves and fades within a few minutes. It is expected, not a fault.

Then wait before deciding on a second. Onset runs 10–20 minutes for a shot or an extract-based pour, and 20–30 minutes for strained root. Effects build gradually rather than arriving sharply, so it is worth letting the first serving land before pouring another.

On a lighter stomach it works faster. Kavalactones are fat-soluble and a full meal slows absorption noticeably. Most people take kava either before eating or a couple of hours after.

As a spirit. A 1.5 fl oz pour is the standard serving and behaves like any other spirit measure — over ice, topped with soda or ginger beer, or built into a mocktail. It mixes well with citrus, pineapple, coconut and ginger, all of which sit comfortably against the earthiness.