Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Singapore Sling

The Raffles Hotel’s pink tropical sling: gin with cherry, herbal liqueurs, pineapple and lime. Complex, fruity and iconic.

Preparation~4 minSome techniqueStrengthMediumabout 15% ABVMethodShaken12 guided stepsIngredients7Hurricane glass (or tall glass)

Sour

In the glassGin · Cherry liqueur (Cherry Heering) · Bénédictine · Triple sec / Cointreau · Pineapple juice · +2 more

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear hurricane glass with a tall curved bowl, flared rim and short stem. — Serving glassHurricane glass

Set up before you pour

Use a hurricane glass.

The tall curved bowl holds crushed ice and a generous tropical serve while leaving room for garnish.

Standard size: 440 ml15 oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a highball or any tall glass with enough capacity.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your hurricane glass (or tall glass)We’ll remember this glass size.

Gin30 ml
Cherry liqueur (Cherry Heering)15 ml
Bénédictine8 ml
Triple sec / Cointreau8 ml
Pineapple juice60 ml
Fresh lime juice15 ml
Grenadine8 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 30 ml gin into your shaker
- Gin
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml cherry liqueur
- Cherry liqueur (Cherry Heering)
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml bénédictine
- Bénédictine
04
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml triple sec / cointreau
- Triple sec / Cointreau
05
Measure into the shaker
Add 60 ml pineapple juice
- Pineapple juice
06
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml fresh lime juice
- Fresh lime juice
07
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml grenadine
- Grenadine
08
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
09
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
10
Ice the glass
Fill your glass with fresh ice
11
Strain cleanly
Strain into your glass
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
12
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a pineapple wedge and a cocktail cherry

Know your drink

About the Singapore Sling

A gin highball, dry Martini and ruby bitter gin cocktail in a botanical bar.

Raffles lost the recipe

Ngiam Tong Boon, working the Long Bar sometime around 1915, usually gets the credit, and whatever he wrote down did not survive. The story goes that Raffles rebuilt the drink in the 1970s from staff recollection. That is why the hotel pour today is redder and sweeter than any sling of the 1910s would have been. Every version in circulation, this one included, descends from that reconstruction rather than from anything Ngiam actually poured.

Sling itself is an eighteenth-century American term for spirit, sugar and water, with nothing tropical about it. Pineapple juice is what turned the category into this. Use canned single-strength juice rather than fresh if you want the thick head the drink is known for. Fresh pineapple carries an enzyme that tears foam apart as fast as you build it, and the canned stuff has been heated enough to kill it.

Common questions

Singapore Sling FAQ

What is in an authentic Singapore Sling?

The Raffles Hotel spec layers gin with cherry liqueur, pineapple and lime, plus accents of herbal liqueur and grenadine. Recipes drifted for a century — even Raffles rebuilt theirs from memory — so treat it as a gin-and-cherry tropical sour and balance to taste.

How strong is a Singapore Sling?

A standard Singapore Sling is roughly 15% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it about as strong as a glass of wine.

Is a Singapore Sling shaken or stirred?

A Singapore Sling is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve a Singapore Sling in?

Serve a Singapore Sling in a hurricane glass, over fresh ice cubes.

How many calories are in a Singapore Sling?

One Singapore Sling has approximately 210 calories, estimated from the standard spec above. Bigger pours, extra syrup or sweetened mixers raise that number quickly.

Sharpen the technique