The Singapore Sling brings its own unique history to the gin history books. Most gin cocktails come from the United States or Europe. The Singapore Sling, however, comes from Singapore (as you might guess). Ngiam Tong Boon created the cocktail at the historic Raffles Hotel at the Long Bar (named for the very long wooden bar in the hotel) in 1915. At the time, the British held an important trading post within Singapore and maintained it through the First World War. This is one reason why gin became a local drink of choice for service members of the British Army. The Raffles Hotel is still a prominent fixture within the city-state, allowing guests to both stay within the hotel, or simply visit the historic Long Bar and sample the original cocktail. The Singapore Sling is unique in the world of gin drinks in that it is more a dessert cocktail, with a combination of fruits and other liqueurs you won’t find in most other gin cocktails. It is a fruity drink, so if you’re not the fan of fruit cocktails you likely won’t enjoy this one. However, it is a great sweet treat when you want to indulge in something a little different.
Singapore Sling - The Perfect Classic Recipe
Prep time
3 Minutes
Serves
1
DESCRIPTION
The Singapore Sling is unique in the world of gin drinks in that it is more a dessert cocktail, with a combination of fruits and other liqueurs you won’t find in most other gin cocktails. It is a fruity drink, so if you’re not the fan of fruit cocktails you likely won’t enjoy this one. However, it is a great sweet treat when you want to indulge on something a little different.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 oz Gin
1/4 oz Grand Marnier
1/4 oz Cherry liqueur
1/4 oz Herbal liqueur
1 oz Pineapple juice
1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
1 Dasy of bitters
Club soda
Cherry and orange slice garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the Singapore Sling you’ll want to fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add in all the ingredients except the club soda and shake. Now pour the mixture into a glass. You can pour it into a highball glass, or you can use a hurricane glass if you have these on hand (these are fun tropical glasses, but if you don’t have the glasses at your disposal no need to go out and buy them when highball glasses will do).
Top the mixture off with club soda, then add an orange slice and cherry on top.
NUTRITION FACTS
calories - 229
carbohydrate - 12.13
fat - 0.09g
protein - 0.07g
Best Gin For a Singapore Sling
You don’t need to break the bank for a gin when making the Singapore Sling. This is because there are tons of other ingredients, so a complex, high-end gin will be masked by the other flavors. An inexpensive option such as a Gordon’s is perfectly fine (it is a common well gin that’s great for mixed drinks). Beefeater is another option that’s a step up in taste and yet not much more expensive.
Singapore Sling Variations
There are a number of ingredients in the traditional Singapore Sling. That means there are all kinds of Gin variation options you can implement when creating alternative versions of the cocktail.
Simple Singapore Sling
The Simple Singapore Sling strains out most of the liqueurs from the traditional option. Here you have pineapple juice, gin, and lime. You can add a splash of grenadine if you’d like for some extra color.
If you guess the Bombay Sling would use a Bombay gin it would be a good guess but incorrect. Instead, you swap out gin entirely and use both brandy and cherry brandy instead. This gives it a much different taste. You also use grenadine and orange juice, so you have almost a completely different drinking experience with this cocktail.
If you’re looking for even more cocktail inspiration, be sure to check out our cocktail section on the website for even more delicious drink ideas. Happy sipping!
3 Minutes
1