White wine lemonade

THE PERFECT...

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to the fundamentals of cooking

Particularly in these times, cocktails are a good option for a drink because they are fun, delicious and easy to make.

Sangria is a recipe hailing from Spain, combining wine, fruit and a little element of sweetness. When making it, be careful not to add too much booze. Too much booze is always a problem, not only for the health risks, but also because it ruins the balance of a good drink. It’s like putting half a bottle of vinegar on your chips. It ruins the overall taste.

Also, cheap booze is just awful. I would always suggest to spend a little more, or a lot more, and enjoy one great-tasting drink, as opposed to three bad ones.

With cocktails, it’s aways about finding the balance between the ingredients, just like food. The most common cocktail balance is sweet and sour — though my favourite is sweet and bitter. You don’t need to go out and buy new stuff, there are always a few ingredients around the house that can achieve that balance.

For sweet, you can use jams, honey, agave or maple syrup. Fresh fruit can also be naturally sweet. In the sangria, you could swap the lemonade for ginger ale or even sparkling water, and play with the fruit. Try using mandarins or kiwis, or even pineapple and mango. Lemon or lime juice will balance the sweetness.

Other easy cocktails are the Jam Collins — gin with lemon juice, raspberry, strawberry or any jam, and topped with soda water. Or a Pineapple and Black Pepper Caipiroska, which is vodka with muddled lime, sugar syrup, fruit juice and fruit such as kiwis and mandarins; raspberries and vanilla essence; strawberries and coconut.