During Boon’s tenure, it was designed to fool onlookers into thinking a lady was sipping a refreshing, non-alcoholic punch, at a time when public drinking was gendered and divided by class and race. The color was about more than visual appeal. Most were consumed by women, says Hurt, and as a result, recipes for the cocktail were often included in cookbooks, like Mrs. At the time, the cocktail was usually comprised of gin, lemon or lime juice, sugar and soda water. The drink’s name is believed to be derived from the German word schlingen, which means to drink quickly, or gobble greedily. This would mean Boon would have honed his recipe sometime between then and 1915, when he left the hotel.ĭrinks historian David Wondrich came across a 1903 reference in the Singapore national archives of “pink slings for pale people.” It indicates a red liqueur like cherry brandy, likely Heering Cherry Liqueur or Bols Cherry Brandy, was used.Īccording Leong, the cocktail’s roots lie in the gin sling. Priscilla Leong, head bartender, Raffles Hotel, Singapore / Photo by Russell Wong “Early versions of these drinks would have been made with little more than spirit, most likely genever or whiskey, sugar and lengthened with water or a mixer like soda water or ginger ale,” says Priscilla Leong, head bartender at Long Bar at Raffles Singapore. The earliest mention of a generic sling in a Singapore newspaper dates to 1897. ![]() “This was pretty common in many places in the world,” says Jeanette Hurt, cocktail historian and author of Drink Like a Woman (Seal Press, 2016), of society’s contempt for women drinking. This includes Singapore, where high society often adhered to many of the same social norms as Great Britain. British colonialism had established many trading posts in the East. It was a pink-hued drink intended for women, for whom public drinking was frowned upon. It was an iconic colonial symbol created by the Sarkies brothers, hoteliers of Armenian descent.Ī Chinese bartender, Ngiam Tong Boon, is said to have created the final, widely-accepted recipe for this gin-based cocktail in 1915. You might prefer your Sling made with gin, Benedictine, Kirsch, lemon juice,Īnd orange and aromatic bitters.Most cocktail historians agree that the Singapore Sling originated, or at least gained popularity, at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Ingredients: gin, cherry brandy, lemon juice, and soda. Rather than liqueur, while the simplest variations only include four Replaces them with simple syrup and club soda. Version removes the Cointreau, pineapple juice, grenadine, and bitters and ![]() So many versions of this cocktail, but most follow the same formula of gin,Ĭitrus, sweetener, and soda. Poured as a pre-mix in order to cut down waiting times. It remains the Raffle’s Hotel’s most popular drink although it is now almost always Stated by the International Bartender’s Association. The variation that we stand by is the one Using notes and pictures that he found, but there are still more than 40 The barman’s grandson created the version that we know and love today, Original recipe was a closely guarded secret, so nobody knows exactly what was Like fruit juice, they could enjoy their beverage without fear of upsetting their ![]() Get around this standard, the Singapore Sling was invented. Often be a menu of fruit juices that the ladies could choose from. Make him a cocktail that would match the red of her lips.Īnother, more likely tale, is that it wasn’t sociallyĪcceptable for women to drink alcohol in Singapore at that time. One version tells of an army officer who went into the barĪnd was entranced by a beautiful woman sitting there. Many historians creditīarman Ngiam Tang Boon with the drink around 1915. MostĪgree that it was created in Raffles Hotel in Singapore. So, where did it come from? Who Invented the Singapore Sling?įew schools of thought when it comes to the origin of the Singapore Sling. A delicious combination of gin, Cointreau, DOM Benedictine, cherry liqueur, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and Angostura bitters, the drink has survived the true test of time, providing us with a tropical taste that takes a talented bartender to get just right. This classic cocktail is certainly one worth finding out more about.
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