Singapore Sling

This month's theme for Retro Recipe Challenge hosted by Laura of Laura Rebecca's Kitchen is Boozy Holiday.

I suppose when I think of Christmas the colours green, white and red spring to mind. I then quickly drop green leaving it for that other great excuse to drink holiday, St Patrick's Day. White too falls to the wayside, even though those lusciously thick and creamy drinks are exceedingly tempting, they really aren't suited to the warm weather here.

So I am left with red and the drink that epitomises the colour is the Singapore Sling - you won't be needing to travel to the Long Bar of Singapore's Raffles Hotel for this beverage!

The drink has a slightly nebulous beginning and it's through to have been invented by barman Ngiam Trong Boon sometime prior to the 1910's - unfortunately the original recipe was lost in the 1930's. The current recipe has been reconstructed from information gathered from bartenders working in the Long Bar during that period and is as close as possible to the original. Rest assured for the sake of authenticity I have thoroughly tested this recipe, many many many times over. In fact I might just test it again to make sure it's just right...

Singapore Sling
[Makes 1]

30ml (1oz) Gin
15ml (½ oz) Cherry Brandy
10ml (0.35 oz) Cointreau
10ml (0.35 oz) Benedictine
120ml (4¼ oz) Pineapple Juice
15ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice
10ml (0.35 oz) Grenadine
dash Angostura Bitters
pineapple slice and cherry, for garnish

Place the Gin, Cherry Brandy, Cointreau, Benedictine, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice and Grenadine into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously.

Strain into a large ice filled tumbler, sprinkle in a dash of Angostura then garnish with a pineapple slice and cherry.

Sit back, take a sip and relax as you transport yourself to another time and place and let those holiday troubles pass you by. If it doesn't work, then just have another ;)