Singapore Sling Cocktail Recipe

Take a walk on the wild side and pour yourself aSingapore sling!

This sweet, tart, fizzy, complex, fruit-forward cocktail is a tropical treat. And a tall order at that.

Calling for eight ingredients, it’s certainly not a short pour. But once you combine everything, it is one impressive drink. 

So I say live it up and enjoy a Singapore sling. This pretty pink cocktail is super fun to drink. 

What Is a Singapore Sling?

The Singapore sling is a fruity gin cocktail born in the early 1900s. 

The original recipe comes from the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. It’s a riff on the Gin Sling, hence the name!

Like all the great classics, there are many variations. But this is how you make it according to the International Bartender’s Association definition.

It features gin, Benedictine, cherry liqueur, pineapple and lime juice, bitters, Cointreau, and club soda. 

Tart, bitter, sweet- you need quite the list for this classic cocktail to be complete. But it’s well worth adding every component to the drink. 

How to Make a Singapore Sling 

The Singapore sling requires several ingredients- eight, to be exact! So gather and measure everything first. Then, all you have to do is mix and sip.

Here’s the process:

1. Shake. Pack a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour gin, Benedictine, cherry liqueur, pineapple and lime juices, Angostura bitters, and Cointreau into it. Shake until chilled, about 30 seconds.

2. Strain and top with club soda. Strain the contents into a highball glass full of ice. Top it off with club soda.

3. Garnish. Garnish with fresh pineapple and a maraschino cherry. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

The Singapore sling can be a bit intimidating at first. So I’m here to lend my expertise. Here are some tricks I’ve learned when making this drink:

• Choose the best cherry liqueur for you. Popular choices include cherry brandy, kirsch, and Cherry Heering. They have varied sweetness levels, so adjust the measurement to your liking.

• Adjust the sweetness. If you want your drink sweeter, add a splash of simple syrup to the mix.

• Fresh is always best. Always opt for fresh lime juice instead of bottled.

• Present to impress. Add a touch of flair by floating the cherry liqueur on top. Pour it over the back of a bar spoon after adding the club soda.

• Use tall glassware. Traditionally, this drink comes in a highball or hurricane glass. But any tall glass will do. 

• Take or leave the Benedictine. The original version calls for this herbal liqueur. So use it if you want to keep things traditional. Otherwise, skip it. You can also replace it with Drambuie, which is a whisky liqueur.

• Have fun experimenting. Cocktails are fun, so enjoy experimenting! Like I said before, there are tons of variations of this drink. Once you try the classic, try other versions to see how you like your drink.