Abstract: A cooling mechanism for a casting apparatus having a mold that includes sides, a bottom, and a top defining a cavity. The cooling mechanism allows for simultaneous injection of liquid and gas onto a cast ingot therefore providing a lower minimum operation liquid flow rate, while maintaining a fairly constant coolant impingement location on the ingot surface. As a result, heat is extracted from the metal ingot at a much lower rate allowing the ingot to experience superior startup butt curl control, which substantially reduces the number of localized stresses that can lead to cracking of the ingot. Reducing the number of cracks in the ingot substantially reduces the number of wasted ingots, therefore improving efficiency and reducing costs. A method of casting is also disclosed.