To talk about the Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin, we first need to travel back in time to Colonial Singapore, where a humble bartender first observed that many of his female patrons were refusing to order any alcohol...

How An Ever-Observant Bartender Created A National Drink... And Deliberately Made It Feminine Pink!

The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel circa 1910s, where the iconic Singapore Sling was invented by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. (Image source: Raffles Hotel)

One of the most iconic cocktails in modern history is that of the The Singapore Sling, now widely regarded as the Little Red Dot's national drink. It was first invented in the 1915 at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, by a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon. 

In the old days, Tong Boon noticed that while gentlemen in the bar were conent with their glasses of gin and whiskey (neat, of course!), their female companions were often left to content themselves with modest teas or juices, thanks to early etiquette that it was unbecoming of ladies to drink alcohol.

The Singapore Sling: a sneaky way women could drink alcohol in the 1910s while maintaining propriety! (Image source: Raffles Hotel)

The ever-observant Tong Boon saw this untapped opportunity and decided to create a cocktail that would look like plain fruit juice, yet would be infused with tons of the good stuff (read: gin and liqueurs!). He also deliberately made sure the drink was pinkish-hued, giving it a feminine flair that would ease female patron's discomfort from potentially being seen drinking a cocktail. 

Sipsmith Honours The Singapore Sling!

 The Raffles Long Bar Then vs. Now (Image Source: Raffles Hotel, Alexander J.E. Bradley)

It's been over 100 years since the Singapore Sling has been invented, and what started as one bartender's experiment has become a globally recognised cocktail with fans all over the world. 

In 2015, on the 100th Year Anniversary of the creation of the Singapore Sling, Sipsmith Gin announced it was launching a limited edition run of the Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin, crafted in collaboration with the Raffles Hotel. Perhaps what made this collaboration even more of a kismet, was the fact that one of Sipsmith's founder Sam Galsworthy was a direct descendant of Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore as a British colony in 1819, and whom the hotel was named after.

The gin is designed to evoke the flavours of Singapore, and to blend seamlessly into any recreation of the Singapore Sling Cocktail. The original recipe, for those of you looking to recreate it yourself, is as follows: 

Singapore Sling Recipe (From the Singapore National Library Board)

30 ml gin
15 ml cherry brandy
120 ml pineapple juice
15 ml lime juice
7.5 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml Benedictine DOM
10 ml grenadine
A dash of Angostura Bitters
1 slice pineapple
1 cocktail cherry

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker shake gently, and strain into a tumbler. Garnish with pineapple slices and a cherry.

Now, without further ado, let's get to tasting this bottle of history! 

Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin, 45% ABV - Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear

Aroma: It opens with a perfumed, almost citrusy herbal aroma, of lemongrass, and lime blossoms, along with some fingerlimes. The juniper here is present yet without being so forward, almost taking a backseat to the more herbal scents. More on spices of cardamom, anise and coriander, which is reminiscent of herbal bak kut teh (spiced herbal pork rib broth) soup. It's aromatic and heady, with this almost nostalgic, traditional Asian vibe to it.

Taste: More of the juniper emerges here, with more of that pine quality to it. It's backed up then by white pepper, citrusy lime, and also those Asian spices of nutmeg, cardamom and anise. It's more peppery and spiced here. Textually it's rounded with a good tingly spiciness!

Finish: More of that citrus holds down the finish, of limes, grapefruits and pomelos. It's really refreshing, with still that lingering white pepper spiciness, and alittle bit more of a tree bark woodiness that comes through. 

Overall Thoughts

I think this really nails the aim of expressing an old school Singaporean (or perhaps more broadly, a Malayan) flavour profile, with that combination of herbal, spiced and green citrus flavours and scents! I find this rather unique even amongst the array of gins because of just how distinctive it is, and how well it conveyed the imagery of the Raffles Hotel back in the day! Perhaps all that's missing are some peanuts (which is traditionally tossed on the floor of the hotel's famous Long Bar)! In a tonic this should be an instant hit for anyone who loves something more spiced, because all those Asian spices of nutmeg, cardamom, anise and coriander, really come through in an almost herbal way, totally reminiscent of bak kut teh!

@lotusroot518