The Singapore Sling

There has been a lot of interest amongst our readers in one of Hunter S. Thompson’s favorite drinks, the Singapore Sling.  I thought it was time to share with you the perfect Singapore Sling recipe.  I got into Slings heavily during the summer of 2008.  My mini-fridge was full with Slings for months.  It’s a great, tropical drink ideal for hot summer days at the pool.

When I first heard of the Singapore Sling in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I went to bars asking bartenders to make one and no one could.  I finally looked for the recipe online and was shocked to see there were over 65 known recipes.  I managed to find what they call the original recipe discovered by Ngiam Tong Boon before 1915 while working as a bartender at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel Singapore.  According to Wikipedia, the original recipe used gin, Cherry Heering, Bénédictine, and fresh pineapple juice, primarily from Sarawak pineapples which enhance the flavor and create a foamy top.

Now, not all of us have fresh pineapples lying around and a bar certainly doesn’t, so we make do with 100% pineapple juice.  When I order in a bar, the Singapore Sling ends up a shot of gin, a shot of cherry or blackberry brandy (I almost like blackberry better), a splash of Cointreau, pineapple juice on the rocks, and garnish with cherry or orange.  But when I’m making them myself, I like to go for the gold and spring for good gin, like Tanqueray or Bombay Dry.  I also pick up a bottle of Cointreau, which is pretty pricey.  I even pick up the Cherry Heering and Bénédictine.  I always drink it on the rocks, never blended, and I like to garnish with cherry and orange.

So now you know, the next time your sweating the summer heat, hit the bar or liquor store and order up a Singapore Sling.