Singapore Sling Recipe (from The Long Bar, Raffles Hotel)

The Long Bar

The Long Bar is home to the Singapore Sling, an iconic drink in Singapore’s short history. It’s decorated to evoke an atmosphere of times gone by, when Singapore was still part of the old Malaya, and the bar, a popular watering hole for gin and whiskey loving gentlemen.

This is probably the only place in Singapore where littering is not a crime punishable with a fine, and I’ll tell you why. The floor is a messy carpet of peanut shells!

For as long as The Long Bar has been around, peanuts have always been offered to the clientele, free of charge, to accompany their drinks. And instead of providing the customers with bowls for the shells, they are encouraged to just throw them on the floor!

This practice of chucking the shells on the floor can be traced back to the early 20th century.

That was a time when Singapore was full of coconut, pineapple and nutmeg plantations, far from the concrete jungle we know it to be today. The plantation owners and higher ups would often find themselves in The Long Bar after a long day out in the fields. They took along a terrible habit.

These guys, back in their own offices, were used to having their every need taken care of by the menial workers. And that included clearing out rubbish on the floor, like the shells of whatever nuts they were snacking on. These shells would, at some point, be swept away by the labourers. This was the habit they carried over to The Long Bar.

Over time, throwing peanut shells on the floor became a tradition, instead of a nasty habit. One that lives on until today, providing cheap entertainment for the tourists.

Singapore Sling

I spent many an evening at The Long Bar in my 20s, pretty much doing what one does in one’s misspent youth. I also enjoyed “fiddling” with my order from time to time – easy on the juice, heavy on the lime, cut the soda – that kind of thing. So I consider myself a Singapore Sling expert, I mean, you know what they say about experience and all that!

I wrote a comprehensive article on the Singapore Sling over at LinsFood, talking about the history of this gin based drink from its days as the Straits Sling or the Gin Sling. And its transition to the pretty cocktail it is now.

In the early 20th century, women were prohibited from consuming alcohol in public, being forced to just stick to juices and hot drinks. Cue enterprising bartender.

The acknowledged inventor of the Singapore Sling, Ngiam Tong Boon, decided to tap this potential market by adding pineapple juice to the Sling and turning it into a pink-hued girly looking, drink with the addition of cherry brandy and grenadine. Much to the delight of the ladies, they could now indulge happily while looking like they were sipping on a tall glass of mocktail!

You’ll find the article on the Drinks Page on LinsFood, if you are so inclined. In that article, I also give you 2 more recipes for Singapore Sling, one by a bartender friend from the old days, and the other, the Cricket Club Sling.

Raffles Hotel Singapore Sling

This Singapore Sling Recipe is the one you’ll find served in The Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, in Singapore. It’s sweet, fruity, herbal and fairly potent.

The Singapore Sling does require a few spirits, so be prepared to get your hands on them to make this drink. This is what we’ll need:

• Gin
• D.O.M. Bénédictine (click to read my article on it on LinsFood)
• Cointreau (or any Triple Sec, article also on LinsFood)
• Cherry Heering (or any cherry brandy liqueur)
• Angosturra Bitters
• Grenadine
• Lime Juice
• Pineapple Juice
• Soda Water (Fizzy Water)

What does Singapore Sling Taste Like?

Singapore Sling is a little on the sweet side, given the pineapple juice and grenadine. You’ll forget that it’s a pretty potent drink because of that! With so many liqueurs in it, the drink is just bursting with various flavours, every sip an absolute delight:

• fruity
• citrusy from the Cointreau and lime juice
• herbal from the gin, Benedictine and bitters
• hint of bitter from the cherry brandy and bitters

Always make an extra serving. Trust me.

And making it is just a case of shaking (or mixing) everything up and topping with soda water.

Shall we get to it?

If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood

Lin xx

More Drinks on SMR

Share this with Someone!