Ingredients

Method

• 1 sprig fennel
• 37,5 ml vodka
• 12,5 ml apricot brandy
• 60 ml home-made apricot shrub (see below)
For the shrub:
• 500 g soft, overripe apricots, stoned
• 200 g caster sugar
• 250 ml white spirit vinegar

Method

Ingredients

Place the fennel in a cocktail shaker and lightly tap a few times with a muddler to release the flavours. Add the vodka, brandy and shrub and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

To make the shrub, quarter the apricots and place in a large glass or porcelain bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir, making sure that all the fruit is coated. Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.

Add the vinegar, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate for a further 7 to 10 days. Strain the pulpy fruit through a fine-meshed sieve and bottle the liquid (shrub). It will keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

Serve with apricot wedges and fresh basil.

TASTE's take:

For this fiery orange mélange Brent Perremore, mixologist at Cape Town’s Asoka Bar, complements the sweet, summery taste of apricots with the grassy, aniseed flavours of fennel.