cocktail hour with primitives: The Capetonian.

The Capetonian is my effort at mixing a cocktail that pays homage to one of my favourite cities. I hint at the city through the ingredients (the use of local Brandy) and the colour (a blush of the city's distinctive shade of pink), but it's the drink's character, a mix of sweetly refined and gaudily boozy, that truly evokes the city of Cape Town. Best enjoyed on a warm sunny afternoon in the City Bowl.

The Capetonian

1 1/2 oz Cape Brandy
1 oz Dry Vermouth
3 Dashes Bitters
1 tsp Superfine Sugar
Soda Water
1 Maraschino Cherry, plus juice

Garnish a glass with a Maraschino cherry, and spill in a little of the juice. In a cocktail shaker, stir together the brandy, vermouth, bitters and sugar with several large cubes of ice. Strain into the glass, and add one or two big splashes of soda, swirling through when done.

cocktail hour with primitives: Gin Pahit.

Though our holiday was spent in sweltering Pretoria, we were lucky enough to be able to spend it next to a pool. And since family was involved, cocktail hour started a little earlier than usual. But finding a good drink for pool-side sipping can be difficult, as I'm not generally a fan of sugary sweet drinks where the sting of the alcohol is masked under the flavour of tropical fruit and loads of sugar. I needed a tropical drink with a little more bite, so I opted for a Gin Pahit.

A favourite of the hotel bars and gin-joints of British Malaya (pahit is the Malay word for bitter), the gin pahit is the ideal tropical cocktail: clean and crisp, with a nicely spiced flavour giving it just a hint of the exotic. It's similar to a Pink Gin, but notable for a much higher ratio of bitters, giving it a darker, smokier colour. And perhaps best of all, the drink is remarkably simple-- so you can spend less time preparing it, and more time sipping it by the pool.

Gin Pahit

1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin

Pour the bitters into a glass, and swirl around to coat. Add the gin, stir to a dark rosy colour. Add an ice cube or two, if required. Enjoy.

cocktail hour with primitives: The Popular Cup.

Cape Town's bright, sunny summer days set the perfect mood for a little outdoor entertaining. Unfortunately, Cape Town's wind can kind of ruin that mood-- which is why we had to move our picnic indoors this afternoon. But might as well make the best of the situation, and serve a little summer wine punch for those willing to make the trek inside.

Entertaining with Wines of the Cape, a South African publication from 1959, recommends a 'wine cup' for summer gatherings. 'For cool thirst quenchers and refreshing summer drinks no enterprising hostess could do better than a "wine cup" - usually a well-blended bowl of wine, soda water and fruit with a dash of special flavouring for extra zest and mystery." I'm ignoring that bit about the hostess.

For our picnic on the carpet, we adapted Entertaining's recipe for a 'Popular Party Cup'. It's a refreshing combination of white wine with sherry, with a nice touch of bitterness added by candied orange peel. We used a cheap Chenin Blanc which had a pleasantly grassy flavour with hints of summer fruit. It made for a perfect sunny-day cocktail, not too sweet, and just boozy enough to add a nice soft glow to the afternoon.

The Popular Cup
1 bottle inexpensive white wine (I used a Welmoed Chenin Blanc)
1/2 cup sherry
small slices of candied tangerine slices, can substitute with orange slices or lemon rind
soda water

Mix the bottle of white wine and the sherry in a pitcher, and add the fruit. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. To serve, put two ice cubes in each glass, scoop in some of the fruit, and pour 1/3 punch to 2/3 soda water.