About

About Shagalabagala

Fuelled by “Chaos”, disorder, craziness, all rolled into one with comic intent…

The Muse

A sure fire sign of a healthy environment; from which we source and harvest our genuinely organic East African botanicals. Our logo is inspired by nature’s motivation behind our playfully flirty and sensuous muse…

A Journey to the Jade Sea. Nature subdued, not a chance!

Sensual alchemy, African Juniper (juniperus procera) massaged by our beguiling saucy still “Sheba”; lover of fine music, shameless epicurean diet of East Africa’s alluring organic botanicals.

Sheba’s Secret Garden
Gin Sessions

The marriage of East Africa’s savannah,
high altitude mountain flavour, and coastal
influenced essential oils.

Sometimes the best ideas are found inside the box. #shagalabagala

I'm walking on sunshine
and don't it feel good...

#shagalese
#shelasessions
@dhow_house

Gentle breezes, lazy days, hard woods, flapping sails... long days stretch into years, fulfilling a tender barrels kiss to craft an affable yet eminently drinkable aged "Rhum Fyah"...

#shh_its_a_secret
#RhumFyah
#wemakerumnotrules

When inspiration comes in a passive yet wholly palpable format. Working backward; the moment when the environment dictates the mouthfeel, the nose, that lingering taste. Igniting cogniscentl memory, sensual curiousity, forming the framework an idea. A truly "African Dry" a Gin for the moment...

#sensuallycurious
#wemakegin
#African_Dry_Gin

So much for dry January...

They told me it was the dry season....

#lets_talk_shagalese
#naturesuitsme

Post prandial torpor... washing christmas lunch down with a healthy dose of nature...

#naturesuitsme
#souldrifter

A carpet of colour. Inspiration is found everywhere in nature...

#naturesuitsme

Sundowners - an African institution...

#wemakegin
#shh_its_a_secret

Sheba's... 🎨@stamper.chris

#shh_its_a_secret

Crazy Kuku's... it's all a little Shagalabagala at Sheba's today...

#shhh_its_a_secret #shebas_secret_garden

Really; when isn't it world Gin day... as if it doesn't come around every day. Well most days. That would be every day here in the Masai Mara. Charles meanwhile is putting the finishing touches to his version for this evenings "Conservation Conversation"... try saying that after a couple of "Serian Sunsets".

#shh_its_a_secret #kimyakimya #alexwalkerserian

Collaboration... Where new ideas are born.

#wemakegin #naturesuitsme #everybody_loves_lincoln

A light drizzle overnight, the air is laden with musthy petrichor. The dust wiped from the leaves, the garden laden with ptomise. The morning light, soft and warming.

Historically we would look for the moon in March to herald the rains...

The day KTN and "The art of living" came knocking...

A time for celebration...

The rains give way to sunshine, flowers bring bugs, bring birds. The chaotic natural cycle, @frayoyo smacking out the tunes and @nycands booty lookin poppin... as we celebrate 2022 with our crew here at Sheba's Secret Garden.

Thank you chef Michael for sharing his "white lightening" aka Arak whilst conjuring up a delicious spread for us all. Christening "The Conductor" our oil drum / pizza oven version 1.0 craftily put together by Mzee Omari in his make shift workshop at the back of house.

Gilo worked his new found cheffy skills, to magic up the most delicious foccacia. Not bad for a painter...

Lucy and Winnie dressed to impress, their most beautiful party frocks. OT working the bar, and Mzee Kivondo stoking the fires. Whilst Mzee Kitenge dances his magic around the garden tending to his orchids and effervescent veggie patch.

It was a party for ourselves, but a celebration for everyone that has made it possible for us all to grow and learn a little more about who we are... thank you all.

#shh_its_a_secret

Mornings in the mirror...

Cloud gazing in the pre dawn skies. "Wiley Coyote" the road runner series came to mind. Our cast of crew and characters compete today in the gruelling 50km Ultra-Mara-thon through the northern Mara Conservancies. In support of Conservation initiatives in the local area.

@inthewildsafari Nic will be running for @conservancyguardians and Serian's best will be donning their best takkies to keep up with last years winner chef Benson. He was nearly half an hour ahead of everyone last time around...

Good luck everyone 😁

#wildyetresonsible

Italy - The Flying Monk @borgosanvincenzo - When your travels take you in search of Negroni...

We are a little late for Negroni week, 13 to 21 Sept. We paid careful attention that week to the traditional recipe around our Serengeti campfire. Note that it takes a week to celebrate Negroni.

Controversy, as with every great vice surrounds the origin of the name. Was it the "comte de Negroni", or "General Negroni"? Was it Florence, the Cafe Cassina in Italy, or the General as early as 1857 whilst serving in Senegal?

Traditionally alchemy dictates a recipe of 1 oz Gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet red Vermouth. Decorated with orange peel. Most importantly stirred, and not shaken.

Does it have to be Campari? It is your choice of red vermouth, and Gin. Which Gin? Where to start? A light floral version to enhance the bitter Campari, a brighter Juniper forward re-enforce the Gins role. Or a hefty Old Tom Gin that can stand up to the bold flavours of this distinct three piece ensemble.

As many Gins as there are, there are so many more beautiful Amaro. Why stop there, a little ageing, a little smoke, a light spritz (I can hear the purists quacking in their boots), a twist of Orange. But which orange? Tsavo pixies, blood oranges, valencia's? It sounds like a dance - a dash, a spray or just the twist?

No wonder we need a week - hell, whats wrong with all year....

#wemakegin #negroni #The_Nairobi_Negroni

Where the Serengeti meets Shagalabagala...

#sundowners #wildyetresponsible

Bingwa...

Bingwa in kiswahili translates to "expert", "Fundi Bingwa" would be Artisinal Craftsmen. Highly valued in Africa; carpenters, carvers, boat makers, tailors, glassblowers and blacksmiths fulfill vital function in this raw landscape.

Handcrafted wares fashioned with simple often rudimentary tools, patiently handled with dexterity and substantial skill. Fabric, furniture, wrought iron, and glassware - form follows function. Though I may have that the wrong way around; function following form. Knocks in an arrow, patina on metal, or polished wood individual characteristics that serve as an artisans peculiar signature.

A lifetimes observation of the adroit masters of craft retains its beguiling seductiveness. Trackers, artists, chefs, artisans remain my guilty pleasure...

#wildyetresponsible

Listen carefully and you will hear the sound of creativity whirring on the wind... some incredible organically grown bitter orange samples from Tanga.

Tanzania's northernmost region host the most prodiguos orchards. Tropical fruits engorged on coastal sunshine, and drenched by seaborne equatorial storms.

Location, location, location, is an old refrain. In this case we are focused on flavour, flavour, flavour with the flourishing emergence of an exuberant spicy African bitters in mind...

#wildyetresponsible #proudlyafrican #naturesuitsme

When an old friend @endlesssafari stops you in the midst of the migration, to introduce you to a new friend... when Gin tasting with the maestro that is @hepple_chris ends with a take away. Not just the gin @hepple_spirits
Which is just delicious, complex, vibrant and smooth as can be...

Something brewing @conservancyguardians watch this space... 😄🙃

#wildyetresponsible #hepplegin #itsawildworld #ginsessions

Distilling it turns out, is part flair, part ingredient, part design; essentially nurturing complexity and essence, to craft mouthfeel, flavour, and desire.

Base elements architectually designed to withstand time. Built with integrity, one stone at a time, form and shape preserved, their soul mellowing gently with age.

The decocture brimming with personality, attitude, poise, and grace.

Sensuality...

#wemakegin #shhh_its_a_secret #Shagalabagala #shagalese #amusebouche

Queen of her jungle....

When influence extends beyond nature. The bric a brac of an hole in the wall Cape Town store. So much to rootle through, not enough time to dig as deep as you want to. Ner a large enough suitcase, nor truck to fill at hand. Treasure chest for sure...

When your search for unusual botanicals leads you home to the mara and the first thing you see...

#wildyetresponsible #Chaos_est_2020 #shhh_its_a_secret

The shape of things to come...

Nothing quite like a muse. Influences drawn from nature, form, sensuality, and flavour.

Shhh it's a secret.... 🙃

#shebasecretgarden #wildyetresponsible

Shagalabagala - swahili for chaos, disorder, mayhem, hodgepodge, mishmash, gallimaufry; all over the shop, couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery... innumerable translations, innuendo, meaning, ruse and use.

Phonetically evocative, onomomatapaeic in its truest form.

Art in the making. Our muse on Alberts wall...

#letstalkshagalese #Chaos_est_2020 #shh_its_a_secret

One team still flying high in the NFD.

Unpeturbed by the chaotic and turbulent events of the greater universe....

Influences are everywhere. Our work with the team at "Conservancy Guardians" reaches out to help wherever we can. To Nurture, Empower, and Protect. Our goal is to enable rural communities by creating opportunity, the ability to retain their heritage, their wild spaces.

#Chaos_est_2020
#wildyetresponsible
#conservancyguardians #milgistrust

Snack attack...

Warburgia Ugandensis bearing fruit in this mornings sunlight. Our local Elephants favoured snack of the moment. With a distinctly peppry mouth feel, chewing on a twig numbs the gums like a good dentists novocaine gel.

The Elephant use their nimble trunk's opposable "finger tips" to gather single fruit the size of a golf ball. A brief inhalation creates a vacuum burst as powerful as 30 times stronger than a human sneeze. Popping the "Elephant Pepper" into their mouth, then chasing down another, and another.

A gluttunous feeding frenzy follows; similar to handing round a box of boozy chocolates at christmas party...

#wildyetresponsible #elephanttales
#seriansmara #safarilife

When the mountains call. Coffee break at 14,000 ft, temp 1°C, and about as close as you can get to the equator on the northern face of Mt Kenya. Tasting sessions...

Nothing like a little RUM FYAH in your coffee to ward away the chill.

There has been some recent discussion about dynamic ageing at altitude. With a vigorous 24 hr temperature range of as much as 15°C in the equatorial highlands, pores on an oak barrel sprightfully expand and contract. Giving more contact with the barrel, imparting augmented depth of flavour and colour through an exhuberant ageing process.

Only time will tell...

#soulsurfing #fyahfyahrumfyah #wildyetresponsible #tastingthemountains

When the mountains call. Coffee break at 14,000 ft, temp 1°C, and about as close as you can get to the equator on the northern face of Mt Kenya. Tasting sessions...

Nothing like a little RUM FYAH in your coffee to ward away the chill.

There has been some recent discussion about dynamic ageing at altitude. With a vigorous 24 hr temperature range of as much as 15°C in the equatorial highlands, pores on an oak barrel sprightfully expand and contract. Giving more contact with the barrel, imparting augmented depth of flavour and colour through an exhuberant ageing process.

Only time will tell...

#soulsurfing #fyahfyahrumfyah #wildyetresponsible #tastingthemountains

Inspiration raises its head everywhere in nature...

Distinct memories of driving along northern desert passes, the hillsides littered with the bright pink "desert rose". The twisted bonsai like branches, Baobabs in miniature. Their crazy hairdo heads obscuring the grand bulb sat iceberg like below the rocky surface.

Theroots and plant fluids contain cardiac glycosides, organic compounds that increase the hearts output. Generations of hunter gatherers have used the potent sap for arrow poison.

Northern Kenya has faced drought conditions for months; yet this magnificent plant, flagrantly disregards the dry and shares its vibrant flowers in abundance.

Think Pink...

ShagalaBagala
The Desert Rose
Pink Gin... who knows.

#chaosinnature #soulsurfing #shagalabagala #valentinesday

An artists palette, the crusted colours of the north reflected in the saline waters of Lake Logipe.

The sulphurous hot springs and high ph values of the lake waters provide a perfect environment for spirulina, a cyano bacteria loved by the everpresent flamingo. These are the furthest extremes of Kenya, having flown the Suguta Valley. Only the impressive lava barrier and Lake Turkana a.k.a "The Jade Sea" seperates us from Ethiopia.

Spectacular would be understated when describing this harsh environnent.

I was looking for influence, i found overload...

#Rum_Fyah #Shagalabagala #soulsurfing #kenyachoppers #alexwalkerserian

Donk...Oops...

Toto time - the babies have arrived. Blended and matured for nine months in the belly of the beast. Newborn Gnu litter the plains, birthing season is upon us in the southern Serengeti.

This image by one of our favoirite guides @michael_l_thomas says it all.

"Shagalabagala in the Serengeti" welcome to the world little one. Our conservation blend takes a little longer. But age has it's advantages...

#wildyetresponsible #conservancyguardians #tototime #naturesuitsme #seriansserengeti

What makes our story so unique?

Nurture - Empower - Protect. The three pillars that @conservancyguardians is built on were the drivers behind our initial thought process; to craft spirits of distinctive quality, suffused with soul, yet embodied with the natural world that surrounds us.

In this instance Honey sustainably harvested by the Hadzabe bushmen. Carefully curated wild bee hives are revisited only at very specific seasons. Opened and closed again they yield a very particular velvet amber unctiousness, acacia blossom and comiphera with a slight hint of wood smoke.

Our Conservancy Gin pays homage to our friends the Hadza. We seek to provide long term refuge for their future, the wilderness and its sustainability. This aged Gin is slowly marrying, working its magic, when complete. Then maybe you can join us as a #conservancyguardian

#wildyetresponsible #tanzania #huntwithhadzabe #wemakegin #safariswithadifference

Out with the old, in with the new. 21 is spent, 2020 too...

Thanks to 21 here's to 22.

#Chaos_est_2020
#wemakegin
#souldrifters
#wildyetresponsible

When the sun and rain conspire to create.

Tart, sweet, juicy, just plain delicious. The start of something new? A seed sewn, a runner trained, roots fed, the fruits of our labour subliminally drifting.

Ice, Chaos, chachu, mavuno, tingisha and gently pour over one giant cube.

"Life through rosy tinted lenses..."

A cocktail from Sheba's Secret Garden.

#souldrifting #shambatoglass #shagalabagala #letstalkshagalese

When sunshine and soul intertwine, moments alive in the mind for a lifetime...

#souldrifters #wildyetresponsible #sshhitsasecret #shagalabagala

"This girl is on fyah" - Rum Fyah

Fired cane and Island spice, gentle blocks of melting ice, African sun'n birthday fun, ruffle light with coastal breeze, den stir it up - an lets talk shagalese...

#rumfyah #shagalabagala #islandlife #letstalkshagalese #sshhitsasecret #souldrifters

"Kissed by an Angel"... Shagalabagala Sunrise.

#thatbirthdayglow #museday #smilinginshagalese

Mericarps of Coriander were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. The "Ebers Papyrus" an Egyptian medical text dating back to 1550 BC describes medicinal and culinary uses of both plant and seed.

Rich in terpenes Linalool and Pinene, the seeds have a distinctly citrus scent. Pungent spicy warmth redolent of a nutty lemon perfume.

The Queen to Juniper's King our home grown organic Coriander, provides a layer of stimulating piquancy to ShagalaBagala's CHAOS...

#wildyetresponsible #wemakegin #Chaos_est_2020 #africandry

Wild yet responsible