Mamajuana (Dominican Spiced Rum Infusion)
Dried tree bark and herbs are soaked, then left to steep for days in dark rum, red wine and honey until the liquid turns deep amber and tastes warm, earthy and slightly sweet. Known across the Dominican Republic as the "levanta muertos" and cherished as a love potion, it is sipped slowly in small shots.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Rinse the bark mix
Put the dried mamajuana bark and herb mix in a colander and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the pieces with your fingers to remove dust, splinters and any loose bits.
- 100 g bark and herb mix
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs clear instead of cloudy with dust
Soak in water
Place the rinsed bark in a clean jar, cover completely with the water, and let it sit in the fridge or another cool spot for 24 hours. This first soak pulls out dust and raw bitterness and softens the wood a little, so the alcohol later picks up flavor instead of harshness.
- 100 g bark mix (from step 1)
- 1 litre water
✅ Done when: the water has turned light brown and the bark pieces feel slightly softened
Pack the bottle
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Add rum and wine
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Sweeten with honey
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Let it steep
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Serve the drink
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Rinse the bark mix
Put the dried mamajuana bark and herb mix in a colander and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the pieces with your fingers to remove dust, splinters and any loose bits.
- 100 g bark and herb mix
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs clear instead of cloudy with dust
Soak in water
Place the rinsed bark in a clean jar, cover completely with the water, and let it sit in the fridge or another cool spot for 24 hours. This first soak pulls out dust and raw bitterness and softens the wood a little, so the alcohol later picks up flavor instead of harshness.
- 100 g bark mix (from step 1)
- 1 litre water
✅ Done when: the water has turned light brown and the bark pieces feel slightly softened
Pack the bottle
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Add rum and wine
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Sweeten with honey
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Let it steep
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Serve the drink
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The Story Behind the Dish
Mamajuana grew out of an old Taíno practice of steeping native bark and herbs in water for their medicinal properties. After colonization, rum and later red wine and honey were added, turning a healing tonic into the dark, fragrant liqueur Dominicans know today.
For generations it has been made at home, with each family keeping its own bark mix and ratios, and the same bottle refilled again and again over the bark until it finally loses its strength.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is famous across the Caribbean as the Dominican Republic's signature spirit and as a playful, widely believed 'love potion,' sipped in small shots at bars, beach stands and family gatherings.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Dominican households and bars never buy a fresh bottle of bark — they simply top up the same jar of soaked wood with new rum, wine and honey, sometimes for months, before replacing it.
Dominican Republic, nationwide
18.49°N, -69.93°W
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