The Dominican Republic is situated on the east side of Hispaniola, with connected country Haiti. Although the countries are attached, they couldn’t be more different in culture, heritage and even language. While the majority of Haiti speaks French and Creole, the national language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish. Hispaniola is located in the Greater Antilles, east of Jamaica and west of Puerto Rico. The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation by area after Cuba at 48,671 km sq (18,792 sq miles) with a population of nearly 11 million people. Three million of these people live in the capital city, Santo Domingo. Before gaining their independence in 1844, the Dominican Republic was ruled by the Spanish for three hundred years. Today, the Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region and has the second largest gold mine in the world.
If you’ve ever visited the Dominican Republic, you’re sure to have tasted Mama Juana or Mamajuana which is a locally-made drink crafted by combing rum, red wine and honey with tree bark and herbs. The mixture is similar to port wine in both colour and flavour. Mamajuana is actually considered to be one of the first distilled spirits in both North and South America, even before rum, as Christopher Columbus was notorious for mixing European alcohol with herbal tea, making Mamajuana a truly unique beverage. Originally popularized as a local herbal medicine and aphrodisiac in the 1950’s, today the drink is most commonly consumed as a room-temperature shot.
Considering the historical importance of this concoction, and its reputation, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to combine this recipe with one of our rum cakes. The Tortuga Mamajuana Rum Cake is your personal piece of the Dominican Republic. Just one bite of this uniquely flavoured cake takes you on a trip to a beach in Punta Cana. This cake, like all of our cakes, is hand glazed with special 5-year-old, oak barrel aged Tortuga Gold Rum then vacuum sealed to lock in the delicious freshness. All cakes have a shelf life of 12 months. While this cake is only available online and of course in the Dominican Republic, you can order this cake to be delivered straight to your door. Bring a taste of the Dominican Republic to your home with our Tortuga Mamajuana Rum Cake.