2
Easy
5 min plus 10 to 13 days to make the shrub
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.
