Alambiners and herbes de Mallorca (herbal liqueur)

What it is and technique

Distillation of aniseed brandy and production of herbes: aniseed spirit drink flavored by maceration or distillation of plants from the island (fennel, rosemary, lemon verbena, chamomile, lemon tree, orange tree, tarongi). It is made in distilleries and, even today, at home with family recipes.

Process step by step

1. Mix the herbs (fonoll, romaní, herba lluïsa...).

2. Distill aniseed brandy in the still.

3. Macerate the plants in alcohol or distill them.

4. Mix and sweeten according to the type (seques, mesclades, dolces).

5. Rest and bottle; The production and bottling of DG can only be done in Mallorca.

Forms and objects

• Alambi .
• Bottle with branches of herbs inside (home practice; check).

Vocabulary

• alambiner: someone who distills with an alembic (craft of the artisan repertoire).
• alambí: alembic.
• aiguardent: brandy.
• aiguardenter: in Mall., fond of brandy; meló aiguardenter, melon that tastes like brandy.
• herbes seques / mesclades / dolces: types according to sugar and grade.
• tarongí: aromatic plant in the recipe.

Geography

• The entire island; historic distilleries in Palma, Bunyola and other towns (please check list).

Short story

• Finals XIII: Ramon Llull's contributions to distillation (according to the source).
• 1596: doc. de Sóller on “all those who have alambins”.
• Finals XVIII: 177 stills in Mallorca; 780,000 liters of liquor, 60% for island consumption.
• 19th century: export to South America; factories that still exist.
• 2002: regulations of the Herbes de Mallorca Geographical Denomination.

State

Alive. Register of artisans (consultation 10/13/2026): 12 alambiners, 13 liqueurs and 4 essències distillers in Mallorca.

Why is it design

• Bottled Landscape: each recipe is a plant map of the island.
• Family variation within a common norm (the DG).

For the project

• Atlas of the herbs of the herbes; label and bottle with an artisan distillery.
• Collect family recipes (oral file).

Sources

• ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbes_de_Mallorca
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=alamb%ED
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=aiguardenter
• caib.es/siciefront/artesania/index.jsp?idioma=ct

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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