Singapore Sling

The first recorded definition of the cocktail, in the 13 May 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository, of Hudson, New York, defined the cocktail as a “bittered sling.” The sling, therefore, is an older category of mixed alcoholic drink than the cocktail, so what exactly is a sling? The definition offered in the periodical mentioned is “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly known as a bittered sling.” A sling, then, includes sugar, water, and spirits, which corresponds perfectly with the recipe for the sling published by Jerry Thomas in his groundbreaking book How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant’s Companion (1862). The slings and toddies are listed together in Thomas’s book; Thomas explains that the gin sling is made with the same ingredients as the gin toddy, except with a little grated nutmeg on top. The gin toddy recipe, as listed in Thomas’s book, is gin, water, sugar, and ice.