A summer holiday won’t be complete without the perfect cocktail that pops with flavour and brings freshness and sophistication to your lazy summer afternoons or classy dinner parties.

According to mixologist Hamilton Matshwele, to obtain the perfect cocktail, you need to reach a balance between four basic elements: strong, weak, sweet and sour.

Matshwele shared his recipe for a Sapphire Spritz that fizzles with bubbly goodness and strikes the perfect balance between all four elements.

Glass: Gin glass or a large red wine glass 

Method: Build/stir with cubed ice

Ingredients:

Ice cubes

25 ml. Bombay Sapphire gin

25 ml. St Germain Elderflower liqueur

12.5 ml. fennel-infused syrup

12.5 ml. lemon juice

100 ml. Fever-Tree sugar free Indian tonic water

50 ml. Martini Prosecco

One long cucumber slice, sliced lengthwise

Two basil leaves

One lime wheel

Method:

Fill your gin glass up to the three quarter mark with ice cubes. Add the gin, the St Germain Elderflower liqueur, fennel-infused syrup and lemon juice and give the cocktail a stir to combine all the ingredients. Add the tonic and top off with the prosecco. Garnish with cucumber, lemon and basil.