

The adding of rum to ‘top off’ my mama juana has already happened several times over the years, and it’s only gotten better (though I doubt any of the original brew is still in there!).
#Total wine near me mamajuana full#
The full mamajuana drink recipe is below. I know it might look like a bundle of twigs right now, but bear with me. On top of that I added my special ingredients: some clove, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins (supposedly the best-kept secret to truly Dominican mamajuana). Once it was ready, I added my Brugal rum, some table wine and a heap of honey. I then cleaned that “seasoned” rum through a coffee filter so that it can be consumed later on, though it smelled a bit heavy on the anise (I ended up diluting that with red wine and drinking it over ice). After I rinsed the mixture in a colander, I “seasoned” the bark with some rum for about a week. It is supposed to be a tree bark mixture, and some of the herbs and spices are pretty gnarly-looking, but you can tell when something is actually out of place.

#Total wine near me mamajuana free#
To make mamajuana, first I washed the herb mix I bought in the DR, just using clean water to make sure that everything was free of dirt and other unwanted materials. But all mamajuana recipes include wine, rum (preferably Dominican), honey, Dominican bark and herbs. Online you can find an endless list of mamajuana recipes, none of which are specific on proportions. ” It’s pretty different depending on where exactly on the island you buy it, but no matter what, it is going to be sweet and best served over ice (or as a shot). Basic History Of Mamajuanaĭuring my visit to the DR, I had a few different iterations of mamajuana, often referred to as “Dominican viagra. One of the many beautiful Dominican beaches. Now you can even make mama juana at home! That final product of this cultural marriage is called mamajuana, and it’s consumed rather frequently on the island, by tourists and locals alike. It’s not your standard fertilizer, but a special mix of Dominican “aphrodisiac” bark & herbs, prepared in order to be stewed with local rum and Spanish wine and liquid honey. To my surprise, after a visit to Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, I even left the island with my very own bag of historically-significant bark. That very rum has become the base of many popular local drinks, including mamajuana, the Dominican Republic’s national drink. Many Caribbean slaves were charged with working the sugar cane fields, the product of which (cane juice) was used in rum production, leading us to the modern good reputation of Caribbean rum. This includes religion, dress, and cuisine, extending into beverages.

Like most of the Caribbean, the slave trade from Africa- and later from India- played a huge role in the island’s cultural development. It also has heavy doses of Spanish and African cultural influence (depending upon the region). But it’s more than just a beach getaway the DR has a long history dating back to indigenous Taíno peoples. The Dominican Republic, often called the DR, is the land of sand and tropical forests and dembow.
