Straits Sling

Review:

Dry cherry and gin come to the fore in this long refreshing drink.

History:

Straits Sling is thought to be the original name of the Singapore Sling and in his 1922 Cocktails and How to Mix Them Robert Vermeire gives the following recipe for the cocktail:
2 dashes of Orange Bitters
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
The juice of half a lemon
1/8 gill of Bénédictine
1/8 gill of Dry Cherry Brandy
1/8 gill of Gin
Pour into a tumbler and fill up with cold Soda Water.

In his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David A. Embury calls for "Cherry Brandy (Kirsch)" in his Singapore Sling. Our Straits Sling recipe is adapted from Embury's Singapore Sling.

SINGAPORE GIN SLING
Of all the recipes published for his drink, I have never seen any two that were alike. Essentually it is simply a Gin Sling with the addition of cherry brandy. The following is typical of the various recipes:
1 teaspoonful Sugar Syrup
Juice of ¼ large Lemon or ½ large Lime
1 pony Cherry Brandy (Kirsch)
1½ jiggers Gin
1 dash Angostura
Shake and strain into 8-ounce Highball glass or use 10-ounce glass and leave 1 large ice cube in the glass. Fill glass with charged water. Some recipes call for the addition of Benedictine. Also, some call for ginger ale in place of the charged water. A slice of lemon peel should be twisted over and dropped into the drink.

David A. Embury, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, 1948

Nutrition:

One serving of Straits Sling contains 213 calories