Tia Maria is a dark liqueur made originally in Jamaica using Jamaican coffee beans, but now made in Italy. The main flavour ingredients are coffee beans, Jamaican rum, vanilla, and sugar, blended to an alcoholic content of 20%.
History
The historical fable of its origins dates it to the 18th century. A young Spanish girl was forced to flee Jamaica, and the family plantation during a conflict. She was accompanied by a sole female servant who carried a bit of jewelry and the recipefor the family liqueur. In honor of the woman's help, the girl named the liqueur "Tia Maria", her name for the woman who had helped save her life. One account of its history says that a man named Dr. Evans discovered the drink after World War II, and he began reproducing it. This story of Dr. Evans' devotion to the drink is part of the official website's history, however. According to some sources, it was actually created in Jamaica in the 1930s. The Jamaican company Lascelles deMercado producer of Appleton Rum supposedly manufactured the concentrate from which the liqueur was made, at least, up until the time it was sold by Pernod. As recently as the 1980s, Tia Maria was made with an alcohol concentration of 31.5% and positioned as a premium liqueur compared to the substantially different product now produced at 20% ABV. The Tia Maria brand was bought by Pernod Ricard through their Malibu-Kahlúa International subsidiary in 2005. It was sold to Illva Saronno :it:ILLVA Saronno|It. in July 2009. Following the sale, Chivas Brothers produced it for Saronno before production was transferred to Illva Saronno's distillery in Saronno, Italy. Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. distributed it in the U.S. for Saronno. As of Aug. 1, 2012, Kobrand became the distributor.
Variations
It can be consumed pure and with ice, but is also frequently used as an ingredient for cocktails, with coffee. It may also be mixed with milk and ice. Some cocktails include Tia Espresso Martini, Dark Tia made with dark rum, Tia Maria and cola, or the Skinny Tia White Russian, made with skim milk and Tia Maria, with a splash of vodka. Another cocktail, known as an 'Orgasm', which is Tia Maria mixed in equal parts with Bailey's or another Irish Cream.
