> Dress for success

> Perfume do's and don'ts

> Killing for honour

> Man marries four women

> There's money in Mao

> Divorced via SMS

> Cape Town's Baby Expo

> Online sex users married

> US has stream dating

> Thinking about inking?

Today, 10 February 2010

› Eskom burns whistleblowers

› 'ANC does not kill people'

› Simelane's spelling blasted

› Victory delights Smith

› The people versus Julius

Yesterday, 09 February 2010

› Strike three, Mr President

› Cooked head discovered

› Zuma apology 'unwelcome'

› 'Illegal' traps blasted

› Madiba to grace Parliament

A fetching shade of pink, it's said that the Singapore Sling was created as a drink specifically for the fairer sex. One can only imagine the thoughts that swam through the mind of its rakish inventor, a Hainanese-Chinese bartender by the name of Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon, as he gently shook the rather lethal mixture of gin, cherry brandy, soda and lemon juice with crushed ice, straining it into a tall, heavily garnished glass, as the blushing ladies looked on from behind their fans.

Legend has it that these events — and who knows what others — transpired in 1915 at Singapore's famous Raffles Hotel; today one of the last remaining Grand Hotels of the East and synonymous with the golden age of travel, the gentle age of the steamship, horse-drawn carriages and leisurely strolls on the promenade and in the lush tropical gardens of far-off lands.

The cult of the cocktail was infectious. Across the ocean in the United States, the silent movie industry was booming, with the unbridled glitz and glamour of Hollywood embraced as far as the Far East.

Even with the imposition of restrictive prohibition laws in 1920, filmmakers and breathless starlets continued to imbibe their martinis as they waved their elegant cigarette holders in the air.

They were playing with fire and the whole world loved it, mimicking their silver screen heros and heroines, and adopting their penchant for cocktails as much as they adopted their sophisticated style.

The Singapore Sling joined the trans-Pacific exchange to become a favourite name (along with the Woo-Woo and the Mai Tai) to drop at chic hotel bars and other suave New World hangouts.

These days, back in Singapore, it's still considered the essential drink — enjoyed, of course, by men and women — without which any visit to this steaming, South-East Asian island would be incomplete.

Shaken rather than stirred and served in a highball or collins glass — and always garnished with a slice of pineapple — it's a drop-dead-gorgeous concoction for summer, perfect around the pool or for sundowners on the patio.

You might just want to get dressed up for the occasion!

Here's the recipe...

Singapore Sling

• 25ml (1 tot) of Gin
• 25ml (1 tot) of Cherry Brandy
• 12ml (0.5 tot) of Cointreau
• 25ml (1 tot) of Lime Juice
• 25ml (1 tot) of Pineapple Juice
• 25ml (1 tot) of Orange Juice
• 6ml (0.25 tot) of Grenadine
• 6ml (0.25 tot) of Benedictine
• 2ml (0.1 tot) of Angostura

Shake and strain into glass filled with broken ice, sprinkle the Benedictine on top.
Garnish Slice of pineapple and a cherry, add straws.

As with many other cocktail recipes, there are a number of variations on the method:

Method 2: Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a sling, highball or collins glass over ice and garnish with a slice of pineapple.

Method 3: Combine gin, lemon juice, and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice. Fill with soda. Float Cherry liqueur/brandy on top.