This week I have decided to make a cocktail that is similar to the tiki-style cocktails I have been making recently. The cocktail with its fruity characteristics and several alcohols makes the cocktail reasonably similar to tiki cocktails. One of the main differences is that it is using gin as the base spirit whereas most tiki cocktails use rum. Further, one difference is its heritage, tiki is often described as Polynesian style cocktails, it mainly uses Caribbean ingredients, however, the style of cocktails, most likely, has its heritage in the continental USA. The Singapore Sling has its roots in, quite unsurprisingly, Singapore. For me all of this is quite interesting because the style of cocktails has been considered to be from one heritage, considering what they are made of it suggests another heritage, in reality, it has a completely different heritage. Further, we are now comfortable considering another cocktail with a completely different history and heritage to be of the same style. What this is for me is a reminder that we can be pretentious and particular about heritages but in the end, similar cocktails from different parts of the world have survived and evolved and are still appreciated.
Speaking of history and heritage the story of the Singapore Sling is one where I have read several different stories since starting with cocktails several years ago. Developed from the sling, which was a style of mixed drinks in the 19th century, the resemblance of the original sling is pretty much non-existent. The original sling only consisting of water, spirits and sugar is closer to a toddy than the most common sling today. With the Singapore Sling, there are stories of several hotels and bars in Singapore making their own versions of the Sling in the early 20th century. The version today is claimed to have come from the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The original recipe is said to have been lost and recovered through stories of people remembering the cocktail. I have seen people calling other recipes as truer to the original with what I consider empty claims. Most likely all of the current recipes are probably wrong if you want to make the cocktail like the original. The recipe I share is a version which I like, it is more similar to tiki cocktails than other versions of the Singapore Sling.
This cocktail is sweet, complex and balance. Using different ingredients which all offer different things to the mix, botanicals from the gin and Benedictine, sweetness from the cherry liqueur, Cointreau and pineapple, acidity from the lime and pineapple and spices from the angostura. It really is a nice cocktail that either may be a good place to start with tiki or gin depending on what your preferred style of cocktails is.
My Recipe:
- 1 oz (3 cl) Gin
- 0.5 oz (1.5 cl) Cherry Liqueur
- 0.25 oz (0.75 cl) Cointreau
- 0.25 oz (0.75 cl) Benedictine
- 0.25 oz (0.75 cl) Grenadine
- 0.5 oz (1.5 cl) Lime Juice
- 3 oz (12 cl) Pineapple Juice
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake to chill and dilute. Strain the cocktail into a Collins glass with ice. Garnish with a piece of pineapple or a lime wheel.