Update: This post is far and away the most popular at Slakethirst, garnering hundreds of hits from searches for “Mauby” and related terms — there’s not much else on the Internet about mauby, it seems. I’ve recently made some mauby from scratch, and have posted a recipe if that interests you. If you arrived here looking for other information about mauby, I’d appreciate it if you left a comment, letting me know what you were hoping to find. –c
I stopped into an Afro-Caribbean grocery yesterday afternoon, hoping to find some Falernum — essential to the true Mai Tai, Rum Swizzle, Fog Cutter and others. No joy with the Falernum, but it’s hard to leave empty handed when confronted with a wealth of imported comestible curiosities. I purchased a bottle of “Sweet & Dandy Mauby Syrup” (and a can of Ghanaian palm nut puree, but that’s another story), hoping it would prove interesting.
Mauby (or “mabi,” “mawbi,” “maubi,” etc.), it turns out, is a much-loved bev in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Cuba — all of the Caribbean, it seems. It derives its name from the central ingredient, the bark of the mauby tree, Colubrina arborescens (or is it Colubrina elliptica?), a buckthorn commonly referred to as “soldierwood” or “naked wood” in the States. Strips of the bark are steeped in boiling water, to which a hefty amount of cane sugar and a variety of spices have been added. On many islands, a portion of a previous batch is used as a starter, and the whole is left to ferment for several days. Fermented or not, it’s drunk ice-cold.
In folk medicine, mauby is variously ascribed the ability to lower cholesterol, counteract arthritis, reduce high blood pressure, act as an aphrodisiac, relieve dysentery, lower diabetics’ blood sugar, and if nothing else, be an excellent thirst-slaking “cooling” beverage. In fact, recent studies [pdf] from the University of the West Indies have shown that consumption of mauby — particularly when made with young coconut water — can significantly reduce hypertension, though the jury is still out on its other benefits.
The syrup I purchased is unspecific about its other flavoring ingredients — “spices and essences” sayeth the label — and I doubt that it was fermented. How closely it approximates traditional home-made mauby, or even how it compares to other concentrates, I cannot say, but R&L Brand Sweet & Dandy Mauby Syrup produces something tasting very like a sweet root beer up-front, with an incredibly long, drawn out bitterness following. It’s a somewhat medicinal aftertaste, but one acclimates to it in fairly short order. Some recipes call for a few dashes of Angostura, others don’t, so I don’t know if all preparations of mauby share this note — some travelers’ journals rave about “refreshing mauby” without even mentioning the bitterness, while others caution that it’s very much an acquired taste. Regardless, it’s a taste that’s beloved throughout the Caribbean — in Trinidad alone, the largest producer of mauby concentrate turns out over 5 million liters — that’s 25 million liters of potable mauby — annually.
What does mauby have to do with cocktails, however? Good question. I’ve not found any recipes calling for it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place at the bar. The syrup is very concentrated — it’s meant to be mixed with water in a 1:4 ratio — which makes it powerfully sweet undiluted. One can easily substitute vodka for 1/2 of the water without notably changing the flavor profile — and I’ve found a Trinidadian’s blog that mentions this practice — but that’s a cop-out. I suspect it may prove more interesting as a substitute for Coca-Cola or root beer in drinks like the Colorado Bulldog, Cuba Libre and Galliano Root Beer Float.
UPDATE: A Mauby Libre isn’t half bad:
1 oz. Mauby Syrup
1 1/2 oz. dark rum
juice of half a lime
Shake well wish crushed ice, strain into a tall glass and fill with seltzer.
—
Not quite what I was hoping for, but a decent long drink for the dog days. Unfortunately dilute mauby hasn’t the color density of Coca-Cola — this drink doesn’t look very nice. Outside of the world of the long, a proper cocktail with mauby in it is going to have to use no more than a teaspoon of syrup.
Tags: Caribbean, coconut water, concoction, Cuba, enjoy, island, lime, long, mabi, mauby, mavi, spice, Trinidad
Well you live and learn everyday.Great website, because i was checking for the medicinal value of mauby and googled this site. I’m from Guyana and living in the Bahamas I always thought that mauby was a Guyanese drink(never put any research into it). I love mauby so much that i brought the bark from home to try over here forgetting to ask for the recipe before I did. A friend had to call home to get it and gave same to me which i tried and came out quite perfectly. Boil the bark with cinnamon sticks clove and nutmeg,add sugar and leave for about two days . Strain and sugar to taste add lots of ice and what do you know the most perfect drink.
Well, i drink sweet and Dandy mauby so often i wondered if it was safe to do so. So here i am wondering if i will suffer from lowered blood pressure, oh well, love it too much to quit now. I must be honest though, i never appreciated it before, some are a bit too bitter for my taste buds, it was the Sweet and Dandy one that i fell in love with, i will drink no other. Readers might be interested to know that i’m in no way connected to that brand.
i want to know about the effects of mauby on a man’s sex life and potence or impotence as the case may be.
Hi… I was pretty much wondering the same thing: if drinking too much of the syrup is bad for you. I’ve known about it now for years — I’m 37 — but only in January did I actually take up drinking the stuff. My cuz told me it’s good for weight loss…IDK. My kids love to drink it, so I decided to try it and found that it wasn’t all that bad…it took some getting used to.
Now I am addicted to it…I drink no other drinks…everything is mauby….or water or tea. And by far Sweet and Dandy is THE BEST BRAND out there. I recommend that as a starter for anyone. I will try boiling the bark myself, cause they say that actually is the better thing to do, but yea
MY NAME IS DUBAD AND I”M A MAUBY ADDICT.
(smile)
please tell me if there are side effect in a man sexual life if he consumes a lot of mauby!!!
Where can I buy Sweet & Dandy mauby syrup? Also coconut water in large sizes (1/2 gal)?
Hi my name is Cinthia I produce mavi at home with a recipe well known for puertoricans like me. Or you can visit my web site mavilaceibena@vpweb.com to know more. I produce this great tasting mavi here in Florida, homemade like my grandpa used to make it. Refreshing until the last drop. Let me know if by any chance you will like to taste some of this mavi . not from a can , but from freshly made for your enjoyment. In my web site you will be able to known the history of the mavi( colubrina elliptica) endangered tree, and also recipes and perhaps an order so you can tste it right at home.
My 7 year old son was experiencing frequent erections for weeks. After visiting the doctor and ruling out any health related matters, we turned to his diet. I indicated to the doctor that within the last couple of weeks my son developed taste for mauby, so much so, that he had to have it everyday, almost at every meal. Because he (my son) was not too thrilled with the frequency of these erections, I opted to take Mauby completely out of his diet. And just as you would have guessed, the erections ended. Since then I have heard from other doctors that practices alternative medicine, that Mauby is indeed used as a stimulant.
Hola,
would anyone know where in either California or Miami one can buy the Mauby bark?
My family members went to Cuba and they came back feeling better than ever !
gracias !
I was remembering the taste of mauby and wondering if there were good cocktails that involved it. I found exactly what I was looking for here – thanks!
Those above me, apparently, were looking to spam you with generic comments that have nothing to do with mauby.
regarding its effect on sexual life. I was told the bitters effect your potency and can in some cases prevent a man from getting a woman pregnant. Not too sure how true this is, but I stopped drinking mauby for a while before getting my wife pregnant. So maybe it does effect the sperm.
Love mauby too, I tend to like the traditional -old fashioned Barbados Mauby my grandmother would make, many of the mauby syrups on the market offer a slighty different taste some very bitter but my favourit mauby syrup from Barbados is the Delish Bajan Mauby, I find sweet and dandy good mauby syrup also but it’s not my first choice.
A nice glass of cold mauby cools me down on very hot days here in Barbados.
it tastes so great. it is excellent for arthritis and high blood pressure. is is a wonderful drink.
As the Puerto Rican that I am I love the refreshing taste of a good Mavi!! However I am now 7 months pregnant and havent had mavi for years. I have just found out that there’s this family that just moved to our city from PR and make their own Mavi. Now my question is, Is it harmful in any way for preganant women to drink mavi? I know it’s a fermented drink so it makes me wonder. I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
Was hoping to find any suppliers in the U.K.
Tried Mauby for the first time last night when a friend from Trinidad served some Rum with Mauby in it (after he fed us with a delicious Chicken Pilau he had cooked!)
Really enjoyed the flavour and would like to track down a supplier in the U.K.
@ Shaun,
you can find mauby in most african or caribean shops in uk…..I bought a bottle from a shop in canning town london just yesterday.
where can i purchase the mauby barks to make mauby? Do you know where i can purchase online?
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