Xtabentun is an anise liqueur made in Mexico’s Yucatan region from anise seed, and fermented honey produced by honey bees from the nectar of xtabentun flowers. Rum is then added to the anise and honey mixture. Because of the rum content, the xtabentun liqueur is sometimes called a “distilled honey” beverage, which is misleading, because the honey alcohol is fermented, not distilled. Distilleries still survive today in the Yucatan that produce the liqueur.

The word xtabentun means “vines growing on stone” in the Mayan language. It refers to the Christmas vine (Turbina corymbosa), a species of morning glory whose seeds contain ergine and have hallucinogenic properties. This has led Jonathan Ott to suggest that balche may also have had entheogenic qualities, although this remains to be demonstrated. The ancient Maya likely would have enjoyed the inebriating effects of a similar beverage to produce visionary and trance states. To do this, they would introduce the fluid into their systems using enemas which caused it to be directly absorbed into the bloodstream and result in much higher levels of intoxication.