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Singapore (the Raffles Hotel Long Bar) · Singaporean

Singapore Sling (The Raffles Hotel Classic)

The tropical gin classic born at Raffles Hotel: gin, cherry liqueur, Bénédictine, citrus and pineapple, shaken into a frothy, ruby long drink. The full original build, not the sugary shortcut.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 21, 2026

A Singapore Sling in a tall glass over ice, deep pink-red and frothy on top, garnished with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry.

The Singapore Sling was created around 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at the Long Bar of Singapore's Raffles Hotel — reputedly so ladies could enjoy a cocktail that looked like an innocent fruit juice. Pink, tropical and complex, it layers gin with cherry liqueur, Bénédictine, citrus and pineapple into one of the great colonial-era long drinks.

Yield
Makes 1
Prep
6 min
Cook
0 min
Total
About 6 min
Difficulty
Intermediate

The Singapore Sling was born around 1915 at the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel — pink, tropical and complex, reputedly designed to look like an innocent fruit juice. It layers gin with cherry liqueur, Bénédictine, citrus and pineapple into one of the great colonial-era long drinks.

A real build, not a sugar bomb

The souvenir version is a juice-heavy pre-mix. The original is a careful layering: gin for backbone, Cherry Heering for colour and depth, Bénédictine for honeyed-herbal complexity, Cointreau and lime for lift. Each plays a part.

Pineapple juice makes the foam

Shake everything hard over ice. Fresh pineapple juice froths naturally when shaken, giving the sling its signature foamy cap — no egg white needed.

Serve long and tropical

Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass and garnish with pineapple and a cherry. Keep a light hand on the grenadine and it’s balanced and refreshing, not cloying. Pour it with Hainanese chicken rice or satay. More in the Drinks guide.

Ingredients

Makes
1
  • 30 ml (1 oz) gin
  • 15 ml (0.5 oz) Cherry Heering (cherry liqueur)
  • 7 ml (0.25 oz) Bénédictine
  • 7 ml (0.25 oz) Cointreau (orange liqueur)
  • 10 ml (0.33 oz) fresh lime juice
  • 120 ml (4 oz) pineapple juice Fresh pineapple juice is what froths the drink when shaken hard — the classic foam comes from the juice, not egg.
  • 1 dash grenadine
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • pineapple wedge and a cherry, to garnish
  • ice

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Add all the liquids to a shaker filled with ice.

    Why: Building everything together and shaking hard is what melds the many components and froths the pineapple juice into the signature foam.

  2. Shake hard for 12–15 seconds until very cold and frothy.

    Why: A hard shake aerates the fresh pineapple juice to create the foamy top and chills the long list of ingredients into balance.

  3. Strain into an ice-filled tall (sling/hurricane) glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.

    Why: Serving long over fresh ice keeps this rich, fruity drink refreshing rather than cloying; the tropical garnish is part of its showy charm.

A quick, anonymous tap — no review needed.

Variations

  • Lighter / less sweet

    Cut the pineapple juice with a splash of soda and ease back on the grenadine for a drier, more refreshing sling.

  • Egg-white version

    Some builds add an egg white for an even silkier, more luxurious foam — dry-shake it first.

  • Modern Raffles spec

    Follow Raffles' own current ratio (a touch more gin and Cherry Heering) for a boozier, less juice-forward take.

Serving & Storage

Serve tall over ice as a long, leisurely tropical drink — a sipper for a warm evening, garnished with pineapple and a cherry.

Pairs with: Satay, Spring rolls, Hainanese chicken rice, Salted peanuts.

Storage: Make to order so the pineapple froth is fresh and the ice is right. You can pre-batch the spirits and liqueurs, then shake with juice and ice when serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 long drink (~250 ml))

Calories
240
Protein
0 g
Carbs
28 g
Fat
0 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugar
24 g
Sodium
10 mg

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What gives it that frothy top without egg?

Fresh pineapple juice. When shaken hard, pineapple juice naturally foams, giving the Singapore Sling its characteristic frothy cap — no egg white required (though some modern versions add one for extra silkiness).

What are Cherry Heering and Bénédictine?

Cherry Heering is a Danish cherry liqueur that gives the sling its ruby colour and stone-fruit depth; Bénédictine is a honeyed, herbal French liqueur that adds complexity. Together they're what separate a real sling from a sweet pink cooler.

Why is the bar version at Raffles so sweet?

The modern Long Bar serves a high-volume, pre-mixed, juice-heavy version. The drink is genuinely fruity, but a fresh build with fresh juice and a careful hand on the grenadine is far more balanced than the souvenir pour.

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Further reading