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THE ORIGINAL MABI DRINK
I love Alton Brown on Food TV. He’s done a couple “Eating on Asphalt” shows where he traveled around and reported on the local food that he found. The last one he did was “Eating on waves” and was food around the Caribbean.
I remember his finding a local soda pop called “Island Maubi”. He found out and toured where it was made, in this families kitchen. They brewed and bottled it for the whole island.
I was looking forward to drinking this when I found it. It would be exotic, no matter how it tasted.
I open it. I smell. I wonder what that is. There is a smell to it, but it’s unlike anything I imagined it would be.
I take a sip. OMG. This is amazing. I’m not sure I like, but I think I do. I can not tell what those flavors are.
There’s a richness to it. It’s deep and complex. It tastes “brewed” with almost an alcohol after taste. There’s something like Root Beer in it. It’s definitely an earthy flavor.
Then I get apples, or raisins, maybe, something fruity. There’s earthy and fruity and it’s brewed somehow.
This is a strong flavor, but not overpowering. It’s… I don’t know. It’s enticing somehow.
There is sweetness, but also some bitter and some fruit. It’s very carbonated, more so that most sodas.
Wow. I’m repulsed and enticed all at the same time. I want to stop drinking but I can’t.
This is unlike any other soda that I have ever, ever tasted.
I got dig out the Alton Brown show and watch how they make it again. It starts off with Maubi bark, from a tree, that they scrape off and let dry. It’s bitter. then dried oranges. They put that in a big pot and boil it, along with Star Anise, Allspice, cinnamon, and clove.
Clove! That’s taste that I couldn’t identify. It doesn’t taste like clove, just a hint maybe. Nicely done.
They boil that all down and then add more water, before letting it ferment. They bottle it just before it starts to produce alcohol.
I’m sure that this bottle was produced in a sanitized, stainless steel, industrial bottling plant with high quality control standards and not someone’s kitchen, but I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t.
This is good stuff.
INGREDIENTS: Filtered Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural Mabi Bark Flavor, Citric Acid, and Natural Color. Pasteurized.