The Juneteenth Coalition kicks off fundraising for the 2027 celebration with a precious cocktail.

Most cocktails have a story to tell. But to create one that contains part of the African diaspora is a challenge that Juneteenth Coalition leaders Sean Carr and Maddox Haberdasher were ready to accept.

Enter the Timbuktu, a fruity and refreshing cocktail inspired by the flavors of the diet that scholars of the Timbuktu Library in Mali, Africa held to. “[Timbuktu] is right at the zenith of the Mali Empire that Mansa Musa ran in the late 1200s,” says Haberdasher. “That was when [the city] was at the epicenter of learning and knowledge.”

Gold takes center stage, and its iridescence is on full display within the rocks glass. A shimmering, edible-gold glittered rim can’t help but fall into the cocktail, representing flakes of gold dust among a liquid whose flavors are like an oasis in the desert. A mixture of fig, date, ginger and cinnamon gladly accepts pomegranate seeds dropped into the glass. As it sits, the pomegranate seeds turn to vintage red accents among the gold.

The Timbuktu’s sweetness is light, and it gently asks its drinker to slow down and enjoy while it lingers long on the palate. Both the name and flavor of the cocktail represents the start of something to be continued. It is planned as the signature libation for the upcoming initial fundraiser titled “Ignition” as a catalyst of events on the road to Juneteenth 2027.

The Juneteenth Coalition’s Ignition fundraiser happens 6-10pm Saturday, Sept. 26 at Carmel Mission Inn, 3665 Rio Road, Carmel. $65. juneteenthcoalition.org.