REPORTER’S HEADLINE SLINGS RAFFLES INTO HISTORY

david ellis

WHEN he was given his drinking orders on a steamy Singapore day some 100 years ago, barman Ngiam Tong Boon took the task before him with all the enthusiasm of an alchemist working on the Elixir of Life.

He had been instructed by his English supervisor to create a totally new cocktail for a group of VIPs visiting from The Mother Country, something that would make them remember forever their visit to the Antipodes, and in particular their stay at the esteemed Raffles Hotel.

In short it had to be cooling, exotic, colourful, and reflecting the tastes of the Far East.

Without the advantages of the battalions of bottles that provide a kaleidoscopic rainbow in the modern-day bar, Mr Ngiam set to by sorting out the fruit juices and few liqueurs that fell within his criteria.

For cooling he would begin with a base of crushed ice, and for a taste of the exotic he decided on Grenadine, that included the exotic Asian pomegranate, Cointreau made from the nectar of far-off Mediterranean bitter-sweet oranges, and Benedictine whose four centuries of history began in a French monastery.

And to reflect a taste of the Far East, what better than the sweetness of the plentiful local pineapples, off-set slightly with the sharpness of island limes?

And finally gin – after all, what self-respecting British gentleman flogging away here in far-flung Singapore did not toss down a gin or three at day’s end to quench the thirst, ease homesickness and keep malaria at bay?

Mr Ngiam spent hour after hour mixing different proportions of his ingredients until he was satisfied he had the perfect combination to pour over his crushed ice in a long glass. “It is magnificent!” exclaimed his supervisor on tasting it. “But for one thing: the Ladies.

“It does not have colour, and colour appeals to the Ladies!”

Mr Ngiam went back to his bar, and as an experiment, tossed in a healthy splash of cherry brandy. Hey presto – not only was his tasty but somewhat dullish-coloured creation now even tastier, it was bright pink.

His supervisor was ecstatic. And his hotel manager more so, even setting up a committee to come up with a name for Mr Ngiam’s creation.

But a visiting wit beat them to it. “I’ve tried it,” he confided to a newspaper reporter. “It looks like paradise, comforts like angels – and kicks like the devil.

“Three, and they have to sling you over their shoulder to get you back to your room!”

The reporter dashed out a story of the new drink sensation, headlining it “Raffles Sling Drink.” Within days, the supposedly secret creation for the upcoming VIP visitors was the talk of the town.

And everyone simply referred to it as “Raffles Singapore Sling.” Raffles’ manager committee gave up on trying to think of anything better.

To try to preserve their proprietary in the recipe for The Sling, Raffles locked Mr Ngiam’s notes away in a safe and entrusted only select bar staff to make the drink from memory.

One enterprising visitor in 1936, however, managed to wheedle the details from a waiter, scribbling it on the back of a piece of cardboard. It’s now on display in Raffles Hotel’s fascinating museum, as is the safe in which the original recipe was kept.

The museum also features a swag of travel memorabilia and paraphernalia from the 1880s including the hotel’s original china and silverware, postcards, letters, photographs – and a number of small hotel items including tableware that are accompanied by such delightful notes as “Returned by (name of guest) after extended loan since 1949…”

If you’re visiting Singapore, Raffles museum is open daily from 10am to 7pm and entry is free.

Finally, if you want to make your own Singapore Sling, here’s Mr Ngiam’s recipe as given to us by the hotel: 30ml of gin, 15ml cherry brandy, 120ml pineapple juice, 15ml lime juice, 7.5ml each of Cointreau and Benedictine, 10ml Grenadine and a dash of bitters. Blend with ice in a blender until frothy and the ice broken up but not mushy; serve in a tall glass garnished with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.

Cheers!