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A Singapore Sling is a tropical taste of heaven. But its ingredients are up for debate. It seems like everyone has his or her own variation on this drink. So here is a basic recipe, and then I will discuss additions and substitutions.

1 ounce of gin
the juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon of grenadine
6 ounces of club soda
1/2 ounce of cherry brandy (kirschwasser)

Mix the gin, lemon juice, and grenadine in a chilled Collin's glass. Add crushed ice, top with the club soda, and stir carefully. Float the brandy on the top of the drink and garnish with a slice of lemon and a maraschino cherry.

A slightly different version offers a dramatic layered effect that is sure to impress at parties

1 ounce of gin
1/2 ounce of cherry brandy
1/2 ounce of grenadine
sweet and sour mix
club soda

Pour the grenadine into the bottom of a chilled Collin's glass and then fill the glass with crushed ice. Add the gin and then fill with nearly equal parts of sweet and sour mix and club soda. Float the brandy on the top of the drink and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Serve this version unstirred to perserve the layers.

The sweet and sour mix in the above recipe can be replaced with 2 ounces of pineapple juice and 1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lime juice. Both of the recipes above will benefit from the complex and luxurious flavors of D.O.M. Benedictine. This cognac-based liquor is flavored with various aromatics, fruit peels, and herbs, which results in a delicate balance of honey, citrus, and herbs. Many people swear that a Singapore Sling is not made correctly if it does not contain approximately half an ounce of Benedictine. Half and ounce of Cointreau or Grand Marnier also makes a delicious addition to this drink. And lastly, if you'd like to add a bit of tikki-flare to the presentation, you can light the kirschwasser on fire as soon as you have floated it on the top of the drink. It will burn itself out fairly quickly, but it will flame long enough to impress your party guests.

Learn more about this author, Erin K. Wiedemer.
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