Develop a love of local liquors in Mallorca: Palo and Hierbas

Mallorca is a great place to enjoy a tasty tipple. Local liquers will tingle your taste-buds in the most pleasing manner. Two of Mallorca’s favourite drinks are Palo and Hierbas de Mallorca. Each drink has a distinct flavor and rather interesting heritage too.

Like a true medley of flavours? Palo is likely to thrill you. Here is a heady blend of fortified wine, genetian, carob and caramelized sugar. Your mouthful of Palo seems to transport you through several tastes from distinctly alcoholic to tangy bitterness and on to lovely sweetness. 

Palo is one of Mallorca’s closely held treasures. This flavoursome liquer enjoys protected status through a formal Regional Designation. So Palo can only be made in Mallorca itself. Despite only some eight registered manufacturers in Mallorca, Palo is still produced in impressive quantities. About 120,754 litres are made every year – so you will never be short of a drop of Palo. Interestingly, Palo was originally used as a tonic to fight off malaria. These days though, Palo is simply pure drinking pleasure.

For an aromatic drop, Hierbas de Mallorca is hard to beat. How could it not be when containing extracts from some of Mallorca’s thriving herbs and citrus. Like Palo, Hierbas de Mallorca was originally used for healing and medicinal purposes. Soon though, its full-bodied flavors made it a favourite tipple. Now you can select from sweet, semi-sweet or dry Hierbas – all featuring a unique anisette flavor. Hierbes de Mallorca was made official in 2002 as a geographical designation, making this liquer an inextricable part of Mallorcan heritage.

Health conscious quaffers can swill both Palo and Hierbas de Mallorca without feeling a tinge of guilt. Both liquers are made from all natural ingredients. Not an oil or artificial colour will be found in Palo. It’s trademark dense colour comes purely from its plant-based ingredients or production process. Caramelised sugar will certainly contribute to a dark hue after all. Meanwhile Hierbas de Mallorca has a scent-sational herbal base. Rosemary, chamomile, fennel, lemon verbena, lemon balm plus orange and lemon trees. All have a hand in making Hierbas de Mallorca the aromatic alcoholic drop that it is.

You won’t have to look far to find your glass or so of Palo or Hierbas de Mallorca. Each can be found in almost any bar around the island, often within handy distance to boutique hotels Mallorca. Put in yourself in Palma. Not only are there many vibey bars to choose from, there is also a terrific selection of boutique hotels Mallorca like:

•    Palau Sa Font
•    Can Cera
•    Hotel Tres

How would you like some inside knowledge of nice restaurants, bars and boutique hotels Mallorca? Think of the team at Rural Hotels Mallorca is your personal ‘encyclopedia’ on the island. We’ll happily share our local knowledge to make your Mallorcan visit one to remember.