MACO_12.2_coconut water

MACO C

US $7.95

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features

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features

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2

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the Cover The mezzanine bar with black and white diamond floor and mural of Cuban mountains at

live

create

eat

the luxurious Hotel Saratoga in Havana.

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room in the sky

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havana’s heavenly hotels

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between worlds

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strong like a lion

PhotographER

Jamaican cottage inspires bohemian lifestyle

Historic palaces exude glamour

Trinidad clay artist turns to sculpture

Coconut water goes high-end

WRITER Sharon Millar

WRITER Nikola Lashley

PHOTOGRAPHER James O’Connor

PHOTOGRAPHERs Chantelle Wilson

Jorge V. Gavilondo

WRITER Alexandra Edwards

WRITER Juliet Barclay

PHOTOGRAPHER Cookie Kinkead

PHOTOGRAPHER Jorge V. Gavilondo

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where golf and polo meet

Apes Hill is new Bajan luxury community

Bajan house gets extreme makeover

WRITER courtesy Apes Hill

WRITER Sarah Venable

PHOTOGRAPHY courtesy Apes Hill

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inner peace

play

PHOTOGRAPHER Bob Kiss

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yielding to the yucatan

Couple finds renewal at Mexican hacienda

WRITER Julie Guaglardi

PHOTOGRAPHER Julie Guaglardi

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going raw

Can you live well on green juice?

WRITER Judy Bastyra

PHOTOGRAPHERs Catherine Bessin,

Richard Haughton

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© istockphoto.com [Danylchenko Laroslav]

strong like a lion writer NIKOLA LASHLEY

PhotographY chantelle wilson

This original health drink has almost mythical properties and whether you take it straight up or mix with spirits, you will go nuts for it

When pseudo-calypsonian Harry Belafonte belted out the 1950’s song “Coconut Woman,’’ he immortalized the versatility of coconuts and heralded the first marketing campaign for a natural energy drink that is not only good for your daughter but makes you strong like a lion. Who can argue with such a rousing sales pitch?

What was once considered a quaint tropical indulgence consumed whilst lazing on a Caribbean beach is undergoing a revival. In a tale of rags to riches, the global soft-drinks © istockphoto.com [Mayer George]

industry is clamouring to capitalise on the health benefits of this humble, provincial beverage.

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Vita Coco, endorsed by Madonna and Demi Moore no less, is a New York-based drinks company attempting to reinvent coconut water. In its 2010 advertising campaign, Vita Coco introduces a coconut character named Cocohead, who poses with sunglasses and protruding straw, and with the wink of an eye he delivers the Vita Coco slogan, “How ‘bout you and me roll down the aisle together?’’

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the top s o f the n u t s whi le s e n d i n g s p u rts o f cocon u t j u ice fly i n g i n to the air . T o s n ac k o n the coco n u t jel ly ( s o ft, white , s lippery ) i s a wholly per s o n a l choice, b u t certai n ly worth try i n g at l eas t o n ce

Challenger brands from Pepsi and Coca Cola © istockphoto.com [Bartosz Hadyniak]

Machete -wie ld i n g me n ma k e light wor k o f hac k i n g o f f

have arrived on the market to romance the health conscious among us,

promoting, the “health

experience’’ of coconut water, creating a market estimated to be worth US$60 million dollars per year, according to Bevnet.com, an online review publication about the non-alcoholic beverages industry.

The rejuvenating properties of the new lucrative liquidity already have a long history and need no further celebrity endorsement. The water was famed centuries ago by Ayurvedic practitioners who revered the coconut palm as a divine plant renowned for its healing qualities.

The slightly dense organic liquid with its high mineral content and unique earthy taste is loaded with nutritional value, more so than any other naturally produced liquid on the planet.

Nature’s role in the creation of coconuts is an intricate and synchronous cycle; the buds take 11 months to grow as rain permeates three layers, collecting mineral deposits as it seeps into the cavity. As the nut grows, it locks in the mineral rich water, protecting it from adverse effects, keeping it fresh, airtight and sterile.

Set apart from its sugar-laden sports drink rivals, one glass of coconut water is low in fat and calories and contains antioxidants, vitamins

© istockphoto.com [Marc Levine Photography]

and the isotonic minerals, electrolytes as well as

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potassium—just two of the main minerals found in modern anti-aging skin products.

During World War II coconut water was used as a replacement for blood plasma and is still widely used intravenously throughout Central Africa, South India and Indonesia. But like most acquired tastes, when sampled for the first time, pure coconut water has a distinctive flavour. You either love it or you hate it. There is no sitting on the fence where this drink is concerned. It really is an unusual taste which needs to be tried several times before it can be truly appreciated.

However, it has its fans amongst discerning rum drinkers, coconut water being the mixer of choice; its translucent image and unpretentious taste does not compete for your attention when combined with quality rum, yet its taste subtly skims the surface. A twist of lime or a touch of fresh ginger in a tall glass of chilled coconut water is clean, refreshing and quietly sophisticated on the palate.

Water from the popular green nut produced by the Tall Green Malayan Palm is harvested and sold throughout the Caribbean and varieties range from the Malayan yellow or red dwarf nut, locally known in Trinidad and Tobago as the Chinese. The distinction lies in age, colour and tree category.

The characteristic taste depends on the texture and soil composition of where the palm is grown.

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C ocon u t Water an d Ginger C aipiroska 1 ½ ounces White Oak rum 4 eighths lime 1 ounce coconut water 1 piece of ginger, peeled, the size of a fingernail 1 ounce agave nectar or aloe vera nectar (can also use simple syrup) 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters 1 In an old-fashioned glass, muddle the coconut

water together with the ginger.

2 Add the limes, rum, syrup and muddle again.

3 Top off with ice, then stir gently.

Garnish: coconut jelly (coconut fat)

Su mmer I sl an d Breeze Chantelle Wilson

2 ounces White Oak rum 1 part coconut water 1 part pineapple juice Dash Angostura aromatic bitters Build all ingredients in a tall glass over ice.

Garnish: pineapple wedge A young yellow coconut from Trinidad’s rural east coast tends to be the sweetest, while a coconut from the Tucker Valley

C hairman ’s C u p

Estate in Chaguaramas has a sweet yet mild salty taste.

2 ounces Angostura 1919

Little effort is needed to find fresh coconut water in the

3 ounces coconut water

Caribbean. If you’re in downtown Trinidad and Tobago on

1 part pineapple juice

Independence Square along the Brian Lara Promenade, any

Dash Angostura aromatic bitters

time from dusk until…coconut sellers are plentiful, and in

Build all ingredients over ice in old-fashioned

particular around the Queen’s Park Savannah where joggers,

glass.

strollers and lovers stop and sip. And in beautiful Tobago, head down to Scarborough Market, open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m.

If you want to drink your coconut water in optimum

C l assico d e C oco Coconut water (cold) 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

conditions, it’s best done standing at the side of the road

1 In a hurricane glass, add 1 cube of ice.

where you can soak up the drama and skill that’s required

2 Top off with coconut water.

to open a fresh coconut, albeit at a safe distance. Machete-

3 Add Angostura aromatic bitters.

wielding men make light work of hacking off the tops of the nuts while sending spurts of coconut juice flying into the air.

To snack on the coconut jelly (soft, white, slippery) is a wholly personal choice, but certainly worth trying at least once.

All cocktails by Raymond Edwards, mixologist at Angostura

It has become the norm to use a straw to sip the water from the nut. No one will laugh, although you may be considered

the nut in both hands, bend slightly forward, tilt your head back and drink every drop without staining your clothes. M

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Chantelle Wilson

an amateur since it is still the mark of a true aficionado to clasp

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