Mauby is another popular drink hailing from the beautiful Caribbean islands. This beverage is incredibly refreshing with an acquired bittersweet taste but great for optimising good health and wellbeing.
If you are looking for a drink that's unique in its taste then this one is what you need in your life. Bittersweet is the most appropriate word to describe it yet truly refreshing.
What is mauby?
In short, mauby is a drink which origins lie within the Caribbean shores. This beverage is made from the bark of the Colubrina genus tree.
The Colubrina genus tree is small in size and native to the Caribbean islands.
In the Spanish and French speaking islands it is called Mavi or mabi. However, the Virgin Islands and Dutch Caribbean call it Maubi. The pronunciation is very similar only the spelling tends to differ.
Back in the day, mauby was a drink that was fermented and sold by vendors. These vendors would walk around towns and villages selling their drink via buckets.
Nowadays, mauby is readily available in bottled syrup form where you simply add water. There is even a fizzy carbonated version too.
In it's bitter state, mauby is also good for your overall health and well being. Many people consume bitter mauby for its health benefits and to ease ailments.
The taste of mauby
As mentioned before, it has a bittersweet taste. Ask anyone who knows about this drink and they will describe it the exact same way.
When you first taste it, you are immediately hit by the sweetness then left with a strong bitterness to the point where you don't know whether to spit it out or swallow it.
I first tried mauby drink in Barbados some years ago.. When I first tasted it I didn't like it (I tried the syrup/fizzy version).
It wasn't until I tried some local, homemade traditional mauby that I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. Its bitterness is very similar to cerasee only, mauby seems to be more diverse.
The preparation
In order to make the actual drink, first of all the bark needs to be boiled. This is typically done with spices (cinnamon sticks, aniseed/star anise, cloves, nutmeg) and dried orange peel. This boiling process results in a very bitter, yet spice infused liquid.
The boiled liquid is often referred to a "concentrated mauby " because of its high potency and strength. Once the concentrated mauby is made it is left to seep for a minimum of several hours or even days.
The concentrated mauby is strained off and due to it's extreme bitterness is diluted with water and sweetened with sugar to taste.
The steps
- Place the mauby bark, cinnamon sticks, aniseed, cloves, orange peel and water in a large saucepan.
- Bring the pot to a boil then simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove, cover and leave to steep overnight.
- The next day strain off the concentrated mauby into a bottle/mason jar.
- To make the actual drink pour 1 cup of concentrated mauby into another jug/pitcher, pour some water into the jug (start with 8 cups and adjust, adding more water if needed. At the same time sweeten until you strike a balance in taste that works for you.
Frequently asked questions
Mauby bark is available to buy online, it's much easier to obtain stateside then it is in the UK.
In the UK you can find mauby bark more accesible on Esty..
If you want to make your mauby into a tonic. Follow the first steps on making the mauby, however use 6 cups of water.
Once the mauby has boil and been left to seep overnight, pour it into a bottle and drink a ½ cup unsweetened (this will be extremely bitter but good for overall well-being
No, although both share the same bitterness. Cerasse and mauby are not the same. Mauby is made using the bark of the tree.
On the other hand, cerasee is made from the leaves and the vines.
No there isn't a direct substitute for mauby bark
You want a sweetener that has a low GI (glycemic index) so it doesn't release quickly into the blood stream causing a crash and burn effort.
I would recommend unrefined maple syrup, coconut nectar or agave nectar.
YES! Do not throw away your mauby bark. You can either blot it dry and dehydrate it for 3 hours @ 70c/158c or leave it to dry out in the open air then store in a airtight bag.
Yes, drink mauby any time of the year.
Notes and tips
- To make a single glass on mauby use ¼ cup of the concentrate and add 2 cups of water or more and sweeten to taste.
- There is no direct substitute for the mauby bark. If you are unable to source it then I'm afraid you won't be able to make the recipe (sorry).
- How concentrated the overall drink is will be up to you. The more water you use the weaker the mauby and the less bitter it will be and vice versa.
- Spices vary according to each island, some like to include bay leaves, angostura bitters, mixed/vanilla essence or bay leaves.
- Once the concentrate is made, you will need to determine how much water/sweetener you will need to meet your tastebuds.
- If you want your mauby unsweetened/bitter simply omit the use of sweetener. You may even want to add more water when making the concentrate and serve it as a tonic.
- In terms of sweetener, I use unrefined maple syrup (which keeps blood sugar levels stable/low GI) as opposed to coconut sugar or another granulate sugar.
- Keep the mauby (both drink and concentrate refrigerated) both should last for several days when.
More drinks to try
- Jamaican Ginger Beer
- Jamaican Carrot Juice
- Tamarind Juice
- Sorrel Drink
- Sea Moss Drink
- Peanut Punch
- Sexy Juice
- Guinep Juice
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Mauby Drink
Ingredients
- 3 oz mauby bark 85g (about 1 cup worth)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 1 tbsp aniseed or 3 star anise (15g)
- orange peel dried
To make mauby drink
- 8 cups water you may want to use more (1.8litres)
- maple syrup to taste can agave nectar or another low GI sweetener
Instructions
To make the mauby concentrate
- Place the mauby bark, cinnamon sticks, aniseed, cloves, orange peel and water in a large saucepan.
- Bring the pot to a boil then simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove, cover and leave to steep overnight.
To make the drink
- The next day strain off the concentrated mauby into a bottle/mason jar.
- To make a drink of mauby pour 1 cup of concentrated mauby into another jug, pour some water into the jug (start with 8 cups and adjust, adding more water if needed. At the same time sweeten until you strike a balance in taste that works for you.
Notes
- To make a single glass on mauby use ¼ cup of the concentrate and add 2 cups of water or more and sweeten to taste.
- There is no direct substitute for the mauby bark. If you are unable to source it then I'm afraid you won't be able to make the recipe (sorry).
- How concentrated the overall drink is will be up to you. The more water you use the weaker the mauby and the less bitter it will be and vice versa.
- Spices vary according to each island, some like to include bay leaves, angostura bitters, mixed/vanilla essence or bay leaves.
- Once the concentrate is made, you will need to determine how much water/sweetener you will need to meet your tastebuds.
- If you want your mauby unsweetened/bitter simply omit the use of sweetener. You may even want to add more water when making the concentrate and serve it as a tonic.
- In terms of sweetener, I use unrefined maple syrup (which keeps blood sugar levels stable/low GI) as opposed to coconut sugar or another granulate sugar.
- Keep the mauby (both drink and concentrate refrigerated) both should last for several days when.
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