Mauby

Mauby is a traditional Caribbean drink brewed from the bark of the mauby tree, sweetened with sugar and infused with spices such as cinnamon, clove, and aniseed. The bark is boiled to make a concentrate, which is then sweetened and diluted to taste. The result is dark, refreshing, and distinctive: somewhat like root beer up front, with a clean spiced sweetness and a lingering bitter finish that takes a sip or two to appreciate.

It is an old-fashioned, no-nonsense drink found across the Eastern Caribbean and known by many names from island to island. In Antigua you will see homemade mauby sold in recycled bottles at the public market in St. John's and at food fairs, as well as commercially bottled versions on supermarket shelves.

Locals will tell you mauby is good for the system, and it has long been treated as a wholesome everyday cooler. If you want to drink like an Antiguan rather than reach for a soda, a cold bottle of mauby is the local choice, especially poured very cold against the midday heat.

A word of honest advice for first-timers: mauby divides opinion, and the bitter finish can be a surprise if you expect a sugary soft drink. The trick is to try it well chilled and to give it a second sip, since the bitterness mellows as you go. Homemade versions vary a lot in strength from vendor to vendor, so if one is too bitter, another may suit you better. Pick up a bottle at the market in St. John's alongside a black pineapple and you have a genuinely local, non-alcoholic taste of the island.