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alcohol

Today’s Forecast = Dry

carib good friday

It looks like it’s going to be a dry day on the island today. Well at least until four o’ clock.

Good Friday is the one day of the year that alcohol sales are restricted by V.I Code. That means that bars, restaurants and even the markets are not able to sell liquor between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. today. So unless you stocked up last night, you’ll have to forgo the rum in your rum and Coke until later this afternoon.

Here’s the official details…

Pursuant to Title 1, Section 171(b) V.I.C., distilled liquor and drinks prepared therewith shall not be served in public places of refreshments between the hours of 9:00 o’ clock in the morning and 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon on Good Friday. Violation of this subsection will result in a fine of not more than $200 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

What Exactly is Mama Juana?

Aubrey Sewer and Doug Benton show off some homemade mama juana at Saturday's event in Coral Bay.
Aubrey Sewer and Doug Benton show off some homemade mama juana at Saturday’s event in Coral Bay.

So last week we told you about the Mama Juana festival that was happening over in Coral Bay. Members of the American Legion held the event which celebrated the post’s anniversary and also served as a fun festival that featured information for veterans, crafts and food. It also featured some Mama Juana.

We here at News of St. John were unsure what Mama Juana was, so we decided to do some investigating for all of you.

It turns out that Mama Juana is a West Indian drink that is concocted by allowing wine, honey and rum to soak in a jar filled with medicinal herbs. Some people refer to this little concoction as “liquid viagra.” Yes, as soon as I learned that, I probably should have walked away. But I decided to stay, so I could report back to all of you.

Before I knew it, Doug Benton and Aubrey Sewer, two very sweet American Legion members, led me over to a table that had two tequila bottles on it. Each were filled with a dark red liquid that had an abundance of herbs floating in it – the Mama Juana. It was pretty hot out, so they suggested I grabbed an ice cube. I closed my eyes and took a sip. Woohoo, that was something!

Potent? Yes. Liquid viagra? Well, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. 😉

Mama Juana aside, the festival was a great success. We’re hoping they plan another one soon.