‍Alcoholado, family remedies, and a morning in the garden with Iris Brown

If you grew up in a Puerto Rican household, chances are you've heard of alcoholado. Maybe your abuela kept a bottle in the medicine cabinet, ready to pull out whenever someone complained about an ache, a fever, or a bug bite.

But have you ever wondered what actually goes into making it?

Recently, a group of University of Pennsylvania students visited NSNP's Villa Africana Colobó garden for an alcoholado workshop led by Iris Brown, one of the longtime leaders of Grupo Motivos and a central figure in the history of Norris Square's community gardens.

Surrounded by herbs, flowers, and bottles waiting to be filled, students learned how to prepare alcoholado, a traditional Puerto Rican herbal rub that has been used in households for generations.

‍¿Y Qué Lleva Eso?

Alcoholado is traditionally made by steeping aromatic herbs in alcohol. Some people grew up with the familiar store-bought bottles, while others remember homemade versions prepared by their parents or grandparents.

The ingredients can vary from family to family, but malagueta, also known as West Indian bay, is especially important in the preparation Iris teaches.

Although malagueta doesn't grow in Philadelphia's climate, NSNP is able to continue this tradition here in el barrio thanks to Iris's cousin in Puerto Rico, who sources the leaves and sends them to us.

For this workshop, Iris also used rosemary, sage, and bright orange marigolds picked from NSNP's gardens.

Students learned about the herbs and their traditional uses before preparing their own bottles of alcoholado to take home.

‍Los Cuentos de Abuelita

For Iris, the knowledge behind alcoholado goes back to her childhood in Puerto Rico. Her grandmother knew which plants to reach for when someone wasn't feeling well, and Iris learned from watching her. It's a family tradition that has remained part of her life and the work she continues doing here in Norris Square.

Alcoholado has traditionally been used in Puerto Rican households as a topical rub for muscle aches, insect bites, fevers, and other common discomforts. While these uses are part of the tradition, they aren't medically established treatments.

Today, Iris continues sharing what she learned from her grandmother through workshops like this one.

From Puerto Rico to Norris Square

Iris has been involved in community gardening and cultural preservation in Norris Square for decades. Her early organizing work, followed by the efforts of Grupo Motivos, helped establish the network of gardens that NSNP continues to care for today.

At Villa Africana Colobó, workshops like this one give visitors an opportunity to learn about Puerto Rican traditions directly from the people who have practiced and shared them for years.

For the visiting students, that meant learning how alcoholado is prepared, getting familiar with the herbs, and hearing about the traditions surrounding them.

And sometimes, that learning begins with a simple question:

¿Y eso pa' qué sirve?

Experience Our Gardens and Culture

Interested in bringing your school, organization, or group to NSNP?

Our gardens offer opportunities to learn about Puerto Rican history, cultural traditions, and the people who helped create these community spaces.

From guided garden tours to hands-on cultural workshops, we can help plan an experience based on your group's interests and available programming.

To learn more, contact Abby Torres Meléndez, Communications & Events Manager, at abby@myneighborhoodproject.org

Note: Alcoholado is discussed here as a traditional cultural preparation. Its historical uses should not be interpreted as medical advice or evidence of effectiveness. Preparations containing rubbing alcohol are for external use only and should never be ingested.