The Singapore Sling is one of the great pre-Tiki tropicals, a 1915 Raffles Hotel original built for the heat of Southeast Asia. Gin, pineapple, lime, Cherry Heering, Benedictine, curacao, grenadine, and a dash of Angostura, shaken hard and poured long over ice. Built on Naught Classic Dry Gin, juniper-forward enough to carry eight ingredients without losing itself.
INGREDIENTS:
- 45ml Classic Dry Gin
- 75ml Pineapple Juice
- 20ml Lime Juice
- 10ml Cherry Heering
- 10ml Benedictine
- 10ml Orange Curacao
- 5ml Grenadine
- 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
GARNISH:
- Pineapple Wedge
- Pineapple Leaf
- Maraschino Cherry
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds.
Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice.
To finish, garnish with a pineapple wedge, a pineapple leaf, and a maraschino cherry on a pick.
The Singapore Sling: a quick history
The Singapore Sling was created around 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender at the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel in Singapore. At a time when women were socially discouraged from drinking spirits in public, Ngiam designed the cocktail to look like a fruit punch so it could pass as a respectable lady's drink. The colour came from grenadine and Cherry Heering, the body from gin and pineapple, and the cocktail became a runaway hit with Raffles' colonial crowd.
The original recipe was lost in the chaos of the Second World War and not reconstructed until the 1970s, when Raffles published the version most modern bartenders work from today. Whether that version is true to Ngiam's original is hotly debated, but the cocktail still delivers what it was built for, a long tropical sipper with enough layered complexity to keep you company through a hot afternoon.
You'll also love
- Naught Gin Fizz, the long, refreshing gin classic for the same slow afternoon
- Aviation, another vintage gin sour from the same colonial-era cocktail boom
- Naught French 75, the champagne sling with gin and lemon
Frequently asked questions
What is a Singapore Sling?
The Singapore Sling is a long tropical cocktail invented around 1915 at the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel in Singapore. It is built on gin, with pineapple juice, lime, Cherry Heering, Benedictine, curacao, grenadine, and Angostura bitters.
What gin works best for a Singapore Sling?
A juniper-forward Classic Dry gin works best. The cocktail has eight ingredients and a juniper-light gin will get lost in the mix. Naught Classic Dry Gin holds its line through the pineapple and cherry without disappearing.
What is Cherry Heering?
Cherry Heering is a Danish cherry liqueur first made in 1818. It is rich, slightly bitter, and noticeably less sweet than American grenadines or maraschinos. It gives the Singapore Sling its signature pink-red colour and dried-cherry depth.
Can I substitute the Cherry Heering or Benedictine?
For Cherry Heering, the closest substitute is a cherry brandy with low sugar, though nothing matches it exactly. For Benedictine, a herbal liqueur such as yellow Chartreuse can work in a pinch but will shift the flavour profile. The cocktail is built around these specific liqueurs, so for the proper drink it is worth tracking them down.
