MAMA JAUNA is the potent concoction that seemingly primes and fuels the general Dominican population. Bottles contain varied mixtures of bark, roots, leaves, herbs, berries, spices, and sometimes dried fruits or pieces of seafood. They get presoaked/marinated in various sized bottles with a red wine and honey mixture before adding rum or the liquor of your choice. The longer the bottle sits, the stronger it gets!Dominicans swear this to be a preventive cure-all for what ails you-an elixir and a liquid Viagra-like aphrodisiac. A lot start their days with a healthy belt. Come nightfall, locals can be seen sipping on anything from half-pint containers to gallon-sized milk jugs!
Mama Juana's herbal nature has a tendency to flush/purge the body, which can sometimes be good for ridding your system of daily intake of food/water bacteria-provided you haven't already came close to dehydration. Then, it’s a curse as any alcohol/caffeine would be. You'll also want to avoid intake with an upset stomach, regardless of what locals say!
Bottles in Bayahibe can be purchased along the coastal road where tourists exit boats, or at Casa Daniel's Dive/Gift shops. It’s also easily found across the country wherever tourist traps are located, but the best ones come from outdoor market areas in towns where locals shop. Mixtures and tastes vary around the different regions, but I avoid bottles with bits of dried seafood inside.
I'd never had trouble bringing numerous bottles of Mama through customs into the US, but have gotten jammed up at the airport in La Romana. More and more, vendors are selling bottles to tourists with just the dry goods inside and not any alcohol. I had purchased three this way to keep from further weighing down my luggage.
WARNING-Without the booze, bottles are considered as food and NOT allowed to leave the country! My question to airport officials was, "Then why are more bottles being sold this way without any forewarning?" Since I was well early and there were no other check-ins, they allowed me to go to one of the concession stands and buy two 1.5 liters of rum to pour into the bottles in making them "legal" for export. Unfortunately, I had a little over a third of one rum bottle left, and of course, there's no open containers allowed on board. Needless to say, I was quite the mess by the time I boarded the plane!
Mama can be rather jealous and is best enjoyed without other intoxicants. Natural affect is more herbal than drunkenness, but the body quickly processes the potion into untraceable blood alcohol levels. I’ve yet to meet anyone that has tried and didn’t like it.
"Wanna Juana" is a common request I hear from stateside friends frequently adding names to the ever-growing list of receiving the favored island souvenir. There's nothing like putting on Meringue, sharing a bottle a shot at a time chased/mixed with fruit juice or coke, and rekindling the DR's warm, good vibe WITHOUT worry of hangover.