🥃 Hierbas de Mallorca
Anise drink with an EU geographical indication: the anise base is flavoured with herbs grown on Mallorca; 20–50% vol., sweet, mixed and dry styles.
Hierbas de Mallorca, in Catalan Herbes de Mallorca, is an anise-flavoured spirit with an EU geographical indication from the island of Mallorca. It is made from an anise spirit drink, neutral spirit and water, flavoured with herbs grown on the island. Under the local regulation of 2003 its strength is between 20 and 50% vol., and its colour ranges from green to amber.
Ingredients. The regulation names seven mandatory plants of Mallorcan origin: lemon verbena, chamomile, orange, lemon, rosemary, lemon balm and fennel. Sugar, other aromatic plants, natural flavourings and colourings permitted for spirit drinks are optional.
How it is made. The anise drink is blended with a water-alcohol solution flavoured by maceration or distillation of herbs, then adjusted with water, alcohol and sugar. Sprigs of herbs may float in the bottle and keep infusing. The bottle must be transparent, no larger than 3 litres, with a numbered label or back label.
Three styles. Sweet (dulces): at least 20% vol. and at least 300 g of sugar per litre; mixed (mezcladas): at least 25% vol. and 100–300 g/l; dry (secas): at least 35% vol. and no more than 100 g/l. The drink is listed among the aniseed spirit drinks in the EU register. In 2018 Mallorcan producers asked to add the Catalan name next to the Spanish one.
Why it matters to you. The style on the label tells you both sweetness and strength: «seca» is the strongest and least sweet. Sweet herbal flavour can hide alcohol, so even a «dulce» remains a strong drink. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| EU category | 25 — aniseed-flavoured spirit drink (EU geographical indication) |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 20–50% vol.; sweet from 20%, mixed from 25%, dry from 35% |
| Raw material | aniseed spirit drink, spirit, water; lemon verbena, chamomile, orange, lemon, rosemary, lemon balm, fennel from Mallorca |
| Legal basis | denomination regulation «Hierbas de Mallorca» (BOE 22.02.2003); technical file PGI-ES-01869 |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Hierbas de Mallorca → kind of → 🌿 Anise spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Maceration
- Made from
- 🥃 Anise, 🥃 Fennel
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Part of
- 🌿 Anise spirits, 🥃 Aniseed-flavoured spirit drink
- Related to
- 📍 Mallorca
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Aguardiente de hierbas de Galicia, 🥃 Anis
Frequently asked questions
Is Hierbas de Mallorca a weak herbal liqueur?
No. Even the sweetest type has at least 20% vol., and the dry one at least 35% vol.; the upper limit for all types is 50% vol.
Which herbs are mandatory in Hierbas de Mallorca?
Under the 2003 regulation: lemon verbena, chamomile, orange, lemon, rosemary, lemon balm and fennel, grown on Mallorca.
How do dulces, mezcladas and secas differ?
By sugar and strength: sweet ones have 300 g/l or more and at least 20% vol., mixed ones 100–300 g/l and at least 25% vol., dry ones up to 100 g/l and at least 35% vol.
Why are there sprigs in the bottle?
The regulation allows aromatic plants to be placed in the bottle, where they keep infusing into the drink; this is a traditional presentation, not an additive.
What is Herbes de Mallorca?
The Catalan name of the same drink: in 2018 producers applied to add it next to the Spanish name in the EU register.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Anis — Aniseed spirit (EU category 28) flavoured only by anise, star anise or fennel; from 35% vol.; in Slovenian also janeževec.
- 🥃 Aguardiente de hierbas de Galicia — Galician herb spirit based on Orujo de Galicia pomace brandy, flavoured with at least three herbs: EU protected name, 37.5–50 % vol., sugar under 100 g/l.
Similar
🥃 Hierbas Ibicencas · 🥃 Herbero de la Sierra de Mariola · 🥃 Chinchón · 🥃 Ouzo of Plomari · 🥃 Hrvatska travarica · 🥃 Anís Paloma Monforte del Cid
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- BOE núm. 46, 22.02.2003, pp. 7436–7437: Reglamento de la Denominación Geográfica «Hierbas de Mallorca», arts. 5–8 (ingredients, aromatic plants grown on Mallorca, 20–50 % vol., types dulces / mezcladas / secas, presentation)
- BOE núm. 170, 14.07.2018, anuncio B-2018-37763: modification of the technical file of PGI Hierbas de Mallorca (PGI-ES-01869) to add the Catalan name Herbes de Mallorca
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III: list of geographical indications of spirit drinks (consolidated at 31.01.2020) — Hierbas de Mallorca, Horincă de Cămârzana, Ostpreußischer Bärenfang, Ronmiel de Canarias
- Govern de les Illes Balears, Servei de Qualitat Agroalimentària: Hierbas de Mallorca (technical file under Reg. 110/2008)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)