I love to make classic cocktails. Speaking of variety not quantity, my liquor stock can rival most bars and restaurants. One thing missing however, was Cherry Heering, no longer... On to the Singapore Sling! So, after researching and trying to figure out which recipe to start with, I'm left feeling like- nobody knows for sure what the h#ll this cocktail's original recipe was! Benedictine, pineapple juice, grenadine, club soda and garnishes seem to show up in some recipes and not in others. Then I see that either Cherry Heering or Kirschwasser account for the cherry brandy ingredient. I've even seen a few that call for sour mixers. That I'm sure not to use. The only constants are these three; Cointreau, gin and lime juice. A lot of recipes refer to the bartender at Rafflles who created it and his original recipe, but even among these, ingredient vary. Well, I'd like to ask: Have you had a Singapore Sling and enjoy it? Have you any idea of the ingredients (proportions would be nice)? Do you make your own?
I have had Singapore Slings on Singapore Airlines, and while I'm told they're made from a mix now, they were still good. Because...well, Singapore is a very, very long flight away from my house.
I overnighted in a very nice hotel in Singapore some years ago now and felt obliged to have one. Not something I would spend the night drinking but OK. As to what was in it, I have no idea.
A Singapore Sling (the glass on the left ) on the Long bar of Raffles Hotel Singapore, where the sling was invented:
We were on a cruise and for a nightcap I ordered one. It took the bartenders a long time to look up the ingredients. It was sweet tasting, but I wouldn't ever have another one.
So, the recipe I went for was without pineapple juice and topped with soda. The Benedictine is a must, it did so much for this drink. I also preferred the Cherry Heering over the kirsch. When I used the kirsch I offset the lack of sugar with grenadine which also made the drink red in the absence of Heering. The Heering on it's own seemed much better. Gin, lime juice, Cointreau, Benedictine, Cherry Heering, a drop of Angostura, and soda was all the drink needed. No sugar syrup, no grenadine and no pineapple. It was plenty red and not at all too sweet.
