Mauby

A bottle of Mauby Fizzz produced by Pepsi

Mauby (in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Bermuda, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla), but also known as maví (or mabí) in Puerto Rico, mabi in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and maubi in the Virgin Islands and Dutch Caribbean islands of St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and Saba), is a tree bark-based beverage grown, and widely consumed, in the Caribbean. It is made with sugar and the bark and/or fruit of certain species in the Colubrina genus including Colubrina elliptica (also called behuco indio) and Colubrina arborescens, a small tree native to the northern Caribbean and south Florida. Recipes usually include other spices as well, aniseed being very common.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two of the largest Caribbean exporters of the bark and leaves. Often the drink is fermented using a portion of the previous batch, while sometimes it is consumed unfermented. Mauby is often bought as a pre-made syrup and then mixed with water (sparkling or still) to the consumer's taste, but many still make it themselves at home. Its taste is initially sweet, somewhat like root beer, but changes to a prolonged, but not astringent bitter aftertaste. To many, it is an acquired taste, and has been known to cause an initial laxative reaction unexpected to many first-time drinkers.

Grupo Taino of the Dominican Republic markets two versions of mabi, both made with carbonated water. Seybano is lighter in color and made from tree bark extract and white and brown sugar, while Cacheo is darker and made from both bark and fruit extract, with spices and brown sugar. Contrary to its name, Mabi Cacheo does not include sap from the Cacheo palms (Pseudophoenix ekmanii and P. vinifera).

Mauby Fizzz is a commercially produced and carbonated version of the drink produced in Trinidad and Tobago from mauby bark. It is unfermented. A similar version is also produced in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines called Hairoun Mauby.

References

• Yearwood, Sheldon J. (2005-02-22). "Mauby, please!". Trinidad Guardian.
• "Mmmm… Mauby!". Slakethirst. 2005-04-17.
• "Making Mauby". Slakethirst. 2006-05-20.