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The Singapore sling is a classic cocktail with loads of variations: here’s how to make it the classic way! It’s complex, fruity, bubbly and just plain fun.
Want an impressive cocktail that’s fruity and refreshing? Try the Singapore Sling! This one’s for the adventurous drinker because it calls for a whopping 8 ingredients! It’s the longest ingredient list of any of our cocktail recipes and has a few specialty ingredients.
But if you want to experience a classic cocktail and don’t mind the challenge: it’s a must try! The combination of fruity, sweet tart and bubbly is intriguingly complex and just plain fun.
Ingredients in a Singapore sling
The Singapore sling is a gin cocktail invented in Singapore around 1915, most likely created by a bartender at the Raffles Hotel. A classic “sling” is made with water, sweetener and liquor. The Singapore sling is a variation on a gin sling with some added ingredients: essentially a single serving punch.
The ingredient list is impressively long, but this is what gives it a complex flavor: sweet, tart, bitter, fruity, and bubbly all at once! If you don’t have Benedictine you can get away with omitting it. Some bartenders even make a shortcut version using gin, sour mix and grenadine—but we think that’s cheating! Here are the classic Singapore sling ingredients:
- Gin
- Cherry liqueur or cherry brandy
- Cointreau
- Lime juice
- Benedictine
- Grenadine
- Pineapple juice
- Angostura bitters
How to make a Singapore sling
Once you’ve compiled the ingredients, the main time involved in this drink is getting out and measuring all the components (see the recipe below). Here’s what to do:
- Shake in a cocktail shaker. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake
- Strain into a glass and splash with soda water. Strain the drink into the Hurricane glass, the traditional way to serve this drink. Add a splash of soda water (about 1 ounce).
- Garnish: Garnish with a cocktail cherry and if you’d like, an orange slice.
The cherry liqueur to use
There are a few types of cherry liqueur: what’s best to use here? Cherry liqueur is a dark red sweet liqueur made from cherries, also called cherry brandy. Here’s what’s best to use:
- A common type of of cherry liqueur is called Cherry Heering. It’s red and tastes just like cherries. You can also find other brands of cherry liqueurs: we used one made by a local distillery for this cocktail. (Use up leftovers in the Blood and Sand cocktail!).
- Avoid Maraschino liqueur: it’s clear and has a bit different flavor. Also don’t use Kirsch: it’s unsweetened.
About Benedictine
Benedictine is an herbal liqueur made in France. It’s made with 27 different herbs, flowers, berries and spices, and was invented in the mid 1800’s. It’s sweetened with honey, and the flavor is lightly sweet and spiced. Benedictine is not used in many classic cocktails, so we recommend it only for the adventurous home bartender.
Do you have to use Benedictine in a Singapore sling? Yes, if you’re going traditional. But you can get away with omitting it as a cheater’s version: the recipe only uses ¼ ounce. Use up leftovers in a Vieux Carre cocktail.
Grenadine: buy or make your own
Grenadine is a non-alcoholic syrup that’s red in color used in many classic cocktails. It’s made from pomegranate juice: the word grenadine actually comes from the French word for pomegranate. There are lots of grenadine cocktails, including the Tequila Sunrise, Clover Club, and the famous Shirley Temple.
Many grenadine syrups you buy at the store have artificial flavors and colors. So we have a recipe for all natural homemade grenadine! The flavor is incredible and it comes out with this brilliant red color. Go to How to Make Grenadine.
For the orange liqueur
Cointreau is the most common of the liquors in the Singapore sling, so perhaps you’ll already have this one on hand. It’s an orange liqueur with a beautiful citrusy perfume flavor. It’s higher quality than Triple Sec, with a more robust and balanced flavor.
Cointreau (or Triple Sec) are best known for its use in a classic Margarita recipe! If you buy a bottle, you’ll have lots to make with it. Try all our Cointreau drinks like the Sidecar and Cosmo.
Singapore Sling
The Singapore sling is a classic cocktail with loads of variations: here’s how to make it the classic way! It’s complex, fruity, bubbly and just plain fun.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- ½ ounce cherry liqueur or cherry brandy
- ½ ounce Cointreau
- ½ ounce lime juice
- ¼ ounce Benedictine (optional but traditional)
- ¼ ounce grenadine
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice, for serving (like clear ice)
- Soda water, for serving
- For the garnish: cocktail cherry, orange wedge (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake it until cold.
- Strain the drink into a hurricane or highball glass that’s filled with ice. Top with splash of soda water (about 1 ounce or so). Garnish with a cocktail cherry and orange wedge.
More gin drinks
Gin is the star in so many of the great cocktails! Here are some great gin cocktails to try…and we promise, all of them are easier than the Singapore sling!
- Gin Fizz or Ramos Gin Fizz Super classic, they’re sweet tart with a frothy egg white foam topping.
- Tom Collins Light, bubbly, sweet tart, and just plain fun.
- Bramble Drizzle a lemony gin sour with candy-sweet blackberry liqueur for a stunning drink.
- Bijou Cocktail Its name evokes glittering jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby and Chartreuse for emerald.
- Gin Gimlet A classic cocktail made of lime juice, simple syrup and gin. Totally refreshing!
- Gin Gin Mule A gin-based spin on the Moscow mule.
- Corpse Reviver A classic cocktail that’s crisp, tart and perfectly balanced! Just as unique as its name.
- Gin Sour A classic sour that’s the perfect balance of lemon, gin and syrup.
- Clover Club Tangy and bright pink, with grenadine, gin, and an egg white foam on top!
This is one of my favorites. I do up the smaller amounts of ingredients to .5 ounces, and it gives a really interesting flavor profile – a bit of everything, but smooth and goes well.
I made this drink tonight and it is delicious! I didn’t have cherry brandy so I used regular brandy and upped the grenadine a little bot. Fantastic!