It was recently brought to my attention that the Smoove D Search for the Official Cocktail of Summer is really the Smoove D Search for the Official Tall Drink of Summer. While the distinction between cocktails and tall drinks is somewhat academic because the term cocktail is often used as a catchall to refer to drinks containing liquor, we here at Propeller Skies have decided to include both cocktails and tall drinks in the search.

Today’s entry in the Smoove D Search for the Official Cocktail of Summer is the Singapore Sling. Like all good cocktails, the exact recipe for this fine concoction is a matter of dispute. Each of the three cocktail recipe books I have handy has a different idea of what the proper ingredients are. About the only thing they agree on is the use of gin as a base spirit. However, we here at Propeller Skies prefer the version described in the Williams-Sonoma Bar Guide.

In contrast to the multitude of differing recipes, the origin of this drink is a fairly straightforward matter. The Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 by one Ngiam Tong Boon at the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel in, surprise, Singapore. Originally, it was considered a woman’s drink because of its hue. The copious amounts of pineapple juice called for in the alleged original recipe probably contributed as well.