Singapore Slings and Creative Juices

Hey all,

As most of you may know, this blog is winging it's way back to you from where I am sitting gazing out on the candlelit courtyard of my hotel in Singapore. Yes, I'm here. Finally back in my darling Jonathon's arms and loving every minute of it.

It was a long trip. Eight hours to Amsterdam where I spent the day touring the city. I went on a canal boat ride, visited the huge flower market and then spent the afternoon and early evening touring through the red light district. I met pot heads and prostitutes, visited a sex museum and about a gazillon sex shops. I munched on a "space cake" and jumped on the plane VERY mellow. LOL But twelve very long hours later I arrived in Singapore and Jonathon met me at the airport with a big huge kiss.
I have a few things I want to do while in Singapore and the very first thing was to have one of their famous Singapore Sling.

Now this famous drink has changed since it was first created by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender at the Raffles Hotel sometime before 1915.

The recipe apparently was lost over the years, but when the Raffles Hotel fell on hard times, the new management decided the only way to breathe life into the establishment was to go back to basics. And one of those was their signature drink.

BUT...no one knew the recipe. So that's when the investigation started. They went through news articles, old ledgers, letters from guests and employee memorabilia. Putting them all together, they came up with a recipe that while it may not be the original, it's damn close and if the tourists visiting is any indication, it's a hit. And since I like the drink, Jonathon and I went down and had one as we sat in the famous Long Bar.

The ambiance of the place is amazing. Very rich and quietly elegant, yet it is filled with friendly staff and happy tourists. The drink went down cool and smooth and tasted amazingly refreshing considering the heat and mugginess of Singapore.

Being there stirred the creative juices and I already have a story working about this first night in the beautiful city of Singapore. And the delicious Singapore Sling will have a big part in it.

Interested in the recipe? Here is what is printed on the menu at Raffles. There are others, but this is the one they are serving right now. It is usually served blended, but you can ask the barkeep to make it the original way as well. They'll be pleased to do it for you.

Singapore Sling

30 ml gin
15 ml cherry brandy
120 ml pineapple juice
15 ml lime juice
7.5 ml cointreau
7.5 ml benedictine
10 ml grenadine
dash Angostura Bitter

Garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry.

Totally yummy! Give it a shot and see if you like it. As I said, there are other recipes, but this is the one done at the hotel proper. We absolutely loved it, Raffles and the whole marina area.

If you are interested in more of my Singapore travels, check out my chat blog at http://cjslivingdreams.blogspot.com/ They are usually up at 9:00am every morning!

Have a great Hump Day!

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/