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This spirit (pronounce it shta-ben-TUNE) is a traditional Mayan liqueur made from anise seed, fermented honey and rum. The native honey is produced by bees that extract nectar from from the xtabentún flower. Because of this, xtabentún distilleries are only found on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The liqueur is sweet with a mild honey aftertaste. The drink is thought to have its roots in the Mayan ceremonial beverage, balché, a somewhat similar alcohol that uses tree bark in place of the anise.
Photo via Flickr/mswine