GUAVABERRY: TRADITIONAL CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS DRINK

Guavaberry Coladas 
Limin's better with one (or two) of these!!

   The Guavaberry Song  

Click to hear the Guavaberry Song

 by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights
 “I COME FOH ME GUAVABERRY!!”

"Morning, Morning, How are you dis morning, Morning Morning, I come for me guavaberry, Morning, Morning, to you and all your family...."  
Repeat... as many times as you like.

Fresh picked Guavaberries, ready for the mash.

 

 Guavaberry Fruit on the Tree

They are not at all like the fruit known as Guava.

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Lucia Henley's Guavaberry Recipe..

Ingredients: 

Guavaberry, Sugar, Sorrel, Spices, 

RUM and Prunes.

 BEHOLD: 

My last remaining bottle of this luscious liqueur.

Miss Lucia Henley

It's a wonderful memory I have, sitting on her simple porch in Smith Bay, St. Thomas. At her feet, a very large pail of Guavaberries, freshly harvested from somewhere in the bush on the North Side of the Island.

It was a family affair. She was setting about getting ready to mash 'em into a juicy mixture.  

Guavaberry is the legendary folk liqueur of many Caribbean Islands. It is said it was first made in St. Maarten/Sint Marten centuries ago in private homes. People made what they needed for family & friends. It became an integral part of local culture & tradition throughout the West Indies.   

Guavaberry liqueur  is a

cherished symbol of the olden days. There are folk songs & stories about it. 

The flowers & the small berries are attached directly to the branches, without stems. The ripe berries are spherical from 9-14 mm (c. 1/2 inch) in diameter with a thin grape-like skin. There is a large irregular round seed or stone which is surrounded by a thin layer of translucent, juicy, pungent, bitter-sweet flesh.

The aged liqueur has a woody, fruity, spicy, bitter-sweet flavor all of its own. The name "Guavaberry" is of Caribbean Amer-Indian origin.

 So however you celebrate the Holiday Season, make sure you grab a bottle of this delicious concoction while you're on your Yacht Charter anywhere in the Caribbean!!