Tia Maria
© Denzil Green
Tia Maria is a rich, sweet coffee-flavoured liqueur with an alcohol content of 20% to 26%, depending on the country it is bottled in.
It is made from coffee beans, cane spirit, vanilla, and sugar. The coffee beans are Jamaican Blue Mountain.
It is made in Kingston, Jamaica. The company produces Tia Maria Concentrate at 32.4% ABV. That is shipped, then diluted and bottled at various destinations.
It can be:
- served straight up on ice;
- mixed with milk, or with coffee;
- used as an ingredient in cocktails or in desserts.
History Notes
Tia Maria was invented in Jamaica shortly after World War Two by Dr Kenneth Leigh Evans. Reputedly, it was based on an old recipe from the 1600s that had come down to a family that he knew.
The original alcohol content was 26.5%.
The Tia Maria company was purchased in 2005 by Pernod Ricard, who also owned Kahlua, the competitor. In 2008, Pernod sold it on to Ilva Saronno for 125 million Euros.
Sources
just-drinks.com editorial team. Pernod Ricard sells Tia Maria to Ilva Saronno. 27 July 2009. Retrieved September 2010 from http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=97959
