Mauby

Mauby (also called mavi, mabi or maubi) is a tree bark-based beverage widely consumed in the Caribbean. Its flavor is initially sweet, somewhat like root beer, but changes to a prolonged, but not astringent bitter aftertaste. It derives its name from the central ingredient, the bark of the mauby tree, a buckthorn commonly referred to as “soldierwood” or “naked wood”. 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 aph…