Singapore Sling

Ever since I heard “shore leave” from Tom Waits I have wanted to make this drink. The combination of finding the recipe in a 70’s (really groovy) cocktail book and buying some Benedictine allowed me to give it a whirl. It’s a refreshing drink born in South-East Asia and it has a very “Tiki” quality but I did employ a few modifications here. Traditionally it has pineapple juice but I’ve omitted it because: 1.) I didn’t have any. 2.) My girl is allergic to fresh pineapple. 3.) The recipe I  from didn’t include it! Also, it calls for Heering Cherry Liqueur but again I didn’t have any so I got a unique replacement! Vișinată! It’s a homemade Romanian cherry liquor that some friends made for me and it fit perfectly in this drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Gin
• 1 ounce Cherry Liquor (Vișinată)
• ½ ounce Benedictine 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ of a lemon
• A couple dashes of Angustora bitters
• Soda water
• Lemon peel 
• Mint sprig

Add everything except the soda water, Lemon and mint into your shaker with ice. Shake it until it’s nice and cold then strain into a tall glass with ice. There should be a little room to add the soda water on top and then stir it slightly. Garnish with a lemon peel and mint sprig and you are done. When you are drinking it you can push the garnishes in to get a hint of their flavor.

And I’ll leave you with some lyrics from Tom Waits:

Well I was pacing myself

trying to make it all last

squeezing all the life

out of a lousy two day pass

and I had a cold one at the Dragon

with some Filipino floor show

and talked baseball with a lieutenant

over a Singapore sling

and I wondered how the same moon outside

over this Chinatown fair

could look down on Illinois

and find you there

and you know I love you Baby