Drinks are on me!

I would like to draw your attention to just 4 examples of drinks that Trinis enjoy: Carib beer, Sorrel, Mauby and Ponche de crème. Only 2 of these are traditionally non-alcoholic but, not necessarily so today, as there’s now Shandy Carib - Sorrel (1.2% alc.), and I had a Trini friend who made a very delicious red wine and sorrel sangria one Christmas. We Trinis find a way to make it boozy, no problem.

What is there to say about Carib? “A beer is a Carib”. “A real beer is Carib”.

Sorrel is Christmas in Trinidad. Sorrel drink is made with the idea of sharing with anyone and everyone whether at home or work during the Christmas season. The drink is made from heavily steeping the bright, red sepals of the sorrel plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa). Did you ever notice that boiling the sepals also cleans out the stains on your pot! Probably because of the acidity or tartness of the extract. The red color also stains your mother’s good counter-tops too! 

Boiling the sorrel and spice mixture

The brew contains the sorrel sepals, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and water of course. Some even add a little ginger and star anise too.

The final product - tart sorrel drink

Ponche de creme is a Christmas-time delight. It is milk-based and infused with strong rum or ‘Punchin’ (puncheon rum) for that added kick. Some say it’s the Trini version of Bailey’s Irish cream. But it’s highly spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, lime, vanilla, Angostura bitters and ‘punchin’ rum. Doesn’t sound like any Bailey’s to me!

Only a Trini can drink this and still stand up!

The issue now is in using raw eggs in the drink. Salmonella anyone? The alcohol content is said to destroy whatever bacteria may be in the raw eggs, so it’s safe to drink. Alternatively, you can simply omit the eggs, it’s up to you.

One thing is certain, however, the colder the crème, the better it tastes. So, on the rocks please!

Mauby is a delicious sweet drink again, made from a heavily steeped preparation of the tree bark of Colubrina arborescens. It reminds me of a slightly bitter, spiced ice- tea actually. 

On Charlotte Street, Port of Spain, you can find the bark sold in small packs as a “kit” if you like. The kit contains the mauby bark pieces along with the necessary spices to make the drink e.g. clove, aniseed, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. You can add some dried orange peel as well.

Dried mauby bark pieces

Boiling the mauby bark pieces with spices

The final product - a tall glass of cold mauby

Now, mauby is also sold as a concentrate where you just add water to get the intensity of flavour you prefer. Listen, nothing beats a glass of homemade cold, mauby. You cannot drink this slowly. Gulping it down is uncontrollable.