What is Tia Maria? 

Tia Maria is a coffee flavored liqueur with its roots in Jamaica. The history of Tia Maria dates back to the eighteenth century. The story, which is a historical fable, is that a young Spanish girl was forced to flee her family plantation in Jamaica because of a conflict. The girl was accompanied by a loyal servant who carried some jewelry and the family recipe for liqueur. When the girl next made the liqueur she named it Tia Maria, which is Spanish for “Aunt”, in honor of the servant who aided her escape to freedom. A man by the name of Dr. Evans re-discovered the recipe after World War ll and began producing the liqueur. The Tia Maria brand was purchased by Pernod Richard, a French producer of alcoholic beverages, through their Malibu-Kahlua International subsidiary in 2005.

In 2009, it was re-sold to Illva Saronno and produced by Chivas Brothers. Later, production was transferred to Saronno’s distillery in Saronno, Italy. Tia Maria can be consumed straight up, over ice, or as an ingredient in cocktails. Some of the more popular drinks made with Tia Maria include Tia Espresso Martini, Tia Maria and cola, Dark Tia, and the Tia White Russian.