How it tastes
Pineapple up front, gin in the body, the cherry liqueur and Bénédictine adding a herbal-fruity depth that most tropical drinks don't have. The grenadine is structural rather than sweet. The Angostura keeps everything from collapsing into juice. A well-made Sling is significantly less sweet than the version most tourists encounter at the Long Bar in Singapore. People are sometimes surprised by how dry ours reads.
Why we built it
The Sling was created at the Long Bar in Singapore around 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender at the Raffles Hotel. It became a Southeast Asian classic and then, decades later, a tourist drink that lost its proportions. We make it the way the original 1930s recipes suggest: lighter on the grenadine, heavier on the gin, and the pineapple juice fresh-pressed. It's a heritage drink that deserves its place.
Where to drink it
On request at Soluble Solids in SS2 Petaling Jaya. We don't keep it on the regular list because the proportions take a minute to build, but we always have the ingredients. Ask for it. Reserve a table if you want one ready when you arrive.