Coladasop: The Baron’s Blend
Drool worthy, adorned with fruit and shells - the masterpiece that is the Baron’s Coladasop. (All garnishing and design by Tots.)
You would love to sit and have a chinwag with The Baron; any foodie would. He is as animated and passionate about food as is humanly possible and his understanding of the same is virtually Einsteinian; complete with unexpected intonations, a varying countenance and a mastery of conversation that will have you glued to your seat with an attentive ear and cheeks aching from intermittent laughter. But what makes this self-taught chef so special? Other than the fact that he never stepped foot into a culinary institution to seek formal training, is the fact that he conceived and nurtured the once Crown Jewel of Saint Lawrence Gap and the entire island of Barbados, as a matter of fact, The Baron’s Smokehouse. After a mere year of bursting onto the restaurant scene, The Baron’s Smokehouse was rated 13th on the Caribbean Journal’s list of the 50 best places to eat in the entire Caribbean and the number one place for taste in Barbados. Even more special is that this feat was achieved without the fanciful; The Baron’s Smokehouse offered simple, casual dining with a taste that to this day has tourists and locals alike begging for an encore.
This musically-inclined, practicing logistician, dad to four and all around superhero is not afraid to tell all that he meets that his secret ingredient is love - love for food, love for cooking, love for humanity and love for life. He sprinkles it liberally in each stir of his well-known mouthwatering, marjoram-laden barbecue sauce, in ever flip of a steak as it chars on a hot grill while being exposed to his unparalleled smoking technique and in every smile as each well-plated meal is delivered to eager guests. ‘Tis the secret weapon The Baron employed to wow the taste buds of celebrity actress Joan Collins in 2014 when he spent over a week as her personal chef.
The Baron chases flavours developed in the crevices of his mind that are then birthed through bold experimentation. Such creative-mindedness fuels his out-of-the-box approach to food and is reflected in his creations. And so the story goes for the coladasop, a recipe developed by the Baron himself for fellow foodies who like myself, are constantly in search of every opportunity to secure an unconventional culinary adventure.
The Baron’s Coladasop standing tall in all of its glory.
Coladasop is a new take on traditional Bajan soursop punch. Aptly named as piña colada also forms its muse. It breathes a breathe of fresh peaches, grapes and coconut milk into the punch, to reinvent a taste known to and beloved by many Barbadians, but extraordinarily and distinctively so. The Baron’s Coladasop is light, refreshing, surprisingly filling and most importantly, packed with flavour. Magical overtones of nutmeg and cinnamon commingle with the smooth texture of the blended fruits to produce bursts of heavenly flavour with each gulp.
If you’re not a soursop fan then coladasop is your remedy, as the presence of peaches, grapes and coconut milk mingle with and slightly mask the soursop taste but not overpoweringly so; soursop lovers have no fear. The addition of a few pieces of peach and grapes to the punch not only appeases the eye with pops of colour but also adds another textural element that is both crunchy and simply divine. However, it’s the distinctive taste of the coladasop coupled with hints of spices that you’ll most enjoy. You will be compelled to savour it slowly in order to extract every morsel of gustatory delight.
Even more compelling is the nutrient content of the blend. This green, tropical, prickly fruit that is soursop is high in vitamin B and C, protein, fibre and minerals such as iron and potassium, among others. What’s more, aloe vera, grapes and peaches add an additional nutritional oomph. Nutmeg and cinnamon completes the whole.
An aerial, closeup view gives a sense of the naturally rich, milky nature of the punch.
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Inactive Time: 12 hours
Servings: 6
Level: peel, blend then chill; that easy!
What You’ll Need...
1 ripe medium-sized soursop
2 cups grapes (whole)
15 oz can of peaches (with juice)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cups water
3/4 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp aloe
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A Simple Process...
1) Peel the soursop and roughly chop into small pieces.
2) Beat the soursop pulp away from the seeds by blending slowly. Spoon the seeds out and discard.
3) Add all other ingredients to the soursop pulp and blend.
4) Strain the blended mixture into a container and allow to “set” for 12 hours in the refrigerator. This step allows the spices to fully infuse the body of the coladasop.
Serve as is or dunk a few pieces of fruit for an added flair. This masterpiece pairs exceptionally well with spicy, peppery foods.
Your eyes beseech you, your tastebuds implore you. Listen to the voice in your head and make this coladasop. You won’t regret it.