This drink appeared in “Foursquare’s Other Gems,” on September 24, 2018.
Green and Gold Cooler
Makes 2 drinks
Direct from Barbados, an original cocktail recipe featuring some unusual ingredients.
1 green (unripe) mango; peeled, pit discarded, diced
1 cup water
4 ounces Old Brigand rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 1/2 ounces salted caramel syrup (recipe follows)
Slices of fresh ripe mango, lightly sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, for garnish
Puree diced mango and water in a blender. Strain the juice from the pulp.
Combine strained green mango juice with the other ingredients in a large cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, then strain into two chilled glasses filled with fresh ice. Garnish with prepared mango.
Recipe by David Barker
Salted Caramel Syrup
Makes about 18 ounces syrup
Salted caramel syrup echoes the naturally dusky sweetness of a perfectly ripe mango. Several commercially available brands of salted caramel are readily available, but if you’d like to try your hand at making your own syrup, here’s an easy recipe.
1 cup white sugar
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a heavy-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the sugar dissolves.
When mixture begins to simmer, adjust heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to discourage crystal formation, until the mixture becomes dark golden amber in color. Do not stir the syrup; stirring at this point will cause crystals to form when the syrup cools.
Remove pan from heat and carefully add remaining 1 cup water (use caution: mixture may spatter). Return pan to cooktop and stir over low heat until the mixture becomes liquid again. Immediately remove from heat and let cool completely before transferring to a sterilized glass container (our suggestion: divide syrup between two 10-ounce glass bottles). Syrup will remain stable at room temperature indefinitely.