The Art of Making Ma Doudou Rum - St. Maarten Culture

TO ORDER: www.rhummadoudou.com

Discover St. Maartens locally made rum at Ma Doudou. 

Ma Doudou, Lot 45, Cul de sac, 97150 Saint Martin
Tel : (+33) 5 90 87 30 43      Mail : info@madoudou.fr

The name is an endearing Creole patois term meaning my darling.

St Martin

Ma Doudou, Cul-de-Sac - Stacked full with flavoured rums in handpainted bottles, this cute purple and green shack is the centrepoint of an enterprising cottage industry. There's all sorts of exotic tastes -  banana, vanilla, passionfruit, mojito – and you can also buy shot glasses, hot sauces, aphrodisiac bois bandé and a kit to make your own spiced rum back home. Closed weekends.

St Maarten

Guavaberry Emporium, Philipsburg - Drop in for a free tasting of this “island folk liqueur” made from the guavaberry, a Caribbean fruit that has nothing to do with the guava but looks similar to a cranberry. It can be drunk in many ways but the “Original” is the most popular buy – and at 35% ABV it has a useful kick.

THE PINK LIQUOR STORE in THE WOODS

“As you visit the many shops on the island of St. Martin you will notice painted bottles labeled "Rhum  ". This is a delicious local product that is made in a little workshop in Cul-du-sac. It is a short drive from Orient Beach. Although it is available in most of the local stores; it is fun to visit the shack. It is not an easy place to find, however, so you may just want to buy it in your choice of grocery, liquor, or airport shops.

Owner Fabienne Burgaliere demonstrates the process of making rum, beginning with pouring the syrup into unmarked glass bottles. This is followed by adding flavors like ginger and cinnamon and various fruits that come from the Dominican Republic. 

Burgaliere explains that by using fruits from the Caribbean, 

the produce and spices are blended together to create an indigenous flavor unique to the island. 

After the essential rum is added to the fruits and the syrup, the bottles are stored outdoors for two to three months. 

This aspect is central to the process because the sunlight allows the fruits to fully give off their essence and infuse the rum (a feature that darkened enclosed storage does not provide). 

Once the bottles are stored and the rum begins acquiring its flavor, the next step is labeling. Burgaliere demonstrates how to paint blue and white sailboats onto the bottles to establish a one-of-a-kind look for each label.

For over 20 years, Ma Doudou has produced rum-filled candies, marmalades, spices, teas, oils, and dozens of flavoured rums including coconut, mango, pineapple, mojito and passion fruit. Speaking of passion, there is even a rum that many of the locals revere as a powerful aphrodisiac. 

Based in Cul-de-Sac, Saint Martin in the French West Indies, Ma Doudou offers a healthy helping of the charm and hospitality usually associated with small family run businesses. My short morning visit there was filled with samples of one-of-a-kind rum and freshly made snacks.

  sells them in glass or plastic bottles. The plastic bottles are signficantly lighter than the glass version.