As travelers like to say everywhere…when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, in St. Maarten, enjoy a hint of guavaberry in your meal, or a splash of guavaberry liqueur in your cocktail. Chances are you won’t taste guavaberry anywhere else in the world. These little wild berries—no relation at all to guava—grow high in the hills in the center of the island. Although they can be found elsewhere in the Caribbean, locals speculate St. Maarten is the only place the guavaberry truly thrives. It’s a central part of local folklore and traditional cuisine. Guavaberry jam and guavaberry liqueur can be found all over the island.

At the Seabreeze Restaurant and Gizmo’s Bar & Grill at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, the bartenders love mixing up cocktails that feature guavaberry liqueur. We recommend the Guavaberry Martini.

Not far from Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, you will find the Sint Maarten Guavaberry Company on Front Street in Philipsburg. Here you can learn everything you’d ever want to know about guavaberry but didn’t know to ask. Guavaberries are rare, have decades of history and are a rather unique species in the plant kingdom. The juice of these precious berries are mixed with rum and sugar and then aged to create the liqueur. In addition to offering a wealth of information on guavaberries, the company also operates a shop, so you can buy a bottle of the liqueur, which means…that when you arrive home, you can still do as the Sint Maarteners do.