We continue the Dale/David Project with another classic, the Singapore Sling. I chose this tonight because it uses pineapple juice and I happen to have a fresh pineapple in the fridge.
The Singapore Sling according to Dale DeGroff
The Singapore Sling is one of those drinks that I think has been maligned by history because of its tropical nature and the fact that it has been tasted in bastardized form at so many low budget holiday destinations or, godforbid, Red Lobster. It is the goal of the Dale/David project to dig beneath the pop culture misunderstandings of such classics--wait til we do the top shelf Long Island Iced Tea!
According to Dale the Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. His recipe calls for the following: Gin, Cointreau, Benedictine, Peter Heering Cherry Heering, Angostura bitters, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine and club soda (optional). We made two versions of this drink tonight. For the first we used pomegranate molasses instead of grenadine because I was trying to get at the original intent of grenadine, which was a pomegranate syrup. If you look at a bottle of Rose's Grenadine, which is what most people know as grenadine, it is all artificial flavor and high fructose corn syrup. The ingredients of Pomegranate molasses are simple: concentrated pomegranate juice.
The first drink tasted great but I was concerned by its slightly dirty brown appearance, and so I made a second drink, identical except for the substitution of Rose's grenadine for pomegranate molasses. The result was a slightly clearer drink that tasted much sweeter--still tasty, but less so by comparison. The first drink was more complex, whereas the second one was more cloying.
The drink on the left is less cloudy, and less flavorful. Thank you High Fructose Corn Syrup!
A 1968 recipe in Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook calls for Old Tom Gin (an old style of sweetened gin that is not commercially available today), Cherry Heering, Benedictine, Angostura bitters, lime juice, and ginger ale. I absolutely love that there was a time when a cookbook could put Cherry Heering in a drink recipe and expect people to know what it was! Vic's drink was served over cracked ice, as were the two that I prepared tonight.
I don't know what's up with Vic asking for Ginger Ale... all those nice ingredients and then ginger ale. According to Ted Haigh, the Straits Sling is the predecessor to the Singapore Sling. He makes an interesting point that the Singapore Sling in its complexity is not very sling-like. He claims that the drink became the sweet concoction we know today based on a misunderstanding of the term "dry cherry brandy" from early recipes. The earlier Straits Sling called for kirschwasser instead of cherry heering and the resulting drink was dryer and more piquant than what we see today. Haigh's Singapore Sling recipe calls for "real pomegranate grenadine" which I think might justify my use of pomegranate molasses.
Comments (4)
Making your own Grenadine is super easy and very, very delicious. I can get you the method if you want it.
Posted by Bill | August 2, 2008 1:18 AM
Posted on August 2, 2008 01:18
Oh, yes, I'm trying very hard to get my hands on this.
Posted by Bill | August 2, 2008 1:22 AM
Posted on August 2, 2008 01:22
Bill--bring the grenadine recipe! I'm ready...
Posted by Tex | August 3, 2008 9:21 PM
Posted on August 3, 2008 21:21
This is what I use when I can get fresh pomegranates.
Grenadine
Seeds from 3 pomegranates .
3 cups raw sugar
1.5 cups water
Combine all ingredients in saucepan and bring
to boil until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, covered for ten minutes, remove from heat and steep until cooled to room temperature. Strain out solids and bottle.
Will keep for a couple of weeks alone, add a few ounces of 100 proof vodka if you want/need to keep it longer.
This makes a nice, light version with a subtle flavor that I really like.
When I can't get fresh fruit, I use this one, which I think came from The Cocktail Chroncicles.
2 cups Pomegranate Juice (I use POM, but the organic stuff from central market would probably be nice too.
1 cup Sugar
1) Add juice to a sauce pan
2) Simmer until reduced by half
3) Remove from heat
4) Add sugar and stir until dissolved, allow to cool and bottle/preserve as above.
It's darker, more intense and more tart, adjust proportions accordingly.
Both can be frozen for longer storage.
Posted by Bill | August 4, 2008 11:25 AM
Posted on August 4, 2008 11:25