30 ml Gin
15 ml Cherry Brandy
120 ml Pineapple Juice
1.5 ml Lime Juice
7.5 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml Dom Benedictine
10 ml Grenadine
A dash of Angostura Bitters
Slice of Pineapple and Cherry, for garnish

The Singapore Sling was invented by Ngiam Tong Boon in the Raffles Hotel Singapore at the Long Bar, probably around 1910. Although it’s agreed that Boon did invent the drink at the hotel, since Boon was a bartender there at the time, the date in which he invented it is not agreed upon. There have been significant changes in the recipe since the original one, which had been published in several articles advertising the Hotel before the 1970s. The recipe at the Hotel, featured here, always remained the same.

It’s easy to make a Singapore Sling. Simply mix the ingredients, shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add the fresh sliced pineapple and cherry for garnish.

The recipe came from a culmination of discovered notes from former bar tenders, one of which is on display at the Raffles Hotel Museum. The current recipe used by the Hotel has been modified from the original recipe, and was probably changed by Boon’s nephew in the 1970s. Today, the drink at the Hotel is served pre-mixed and poured from automatic dispensers containing both the alcohol and the pineapple juice in pre-set volumes.

The recipe for a Singapore Sling is often recorded incorrectly in recipe books. A key ingredient that is usually missing is Benedictine, which adds a particular flavour to the drink.

Originally, the Singapore Sling was made to be a woman’s drink because of its pink colour.