3 Asian-Inspired Cocktails You Can Make in Your Own Kitchen
Singapore Sling
This take on the classic Gin Sling, a single-serving punch, was invented around a century ago by Ngiam Tong Boon, the bartender of the Raffles hotel, Singapore. It can be hard to get it just right - as no two Singapore Sling recipes are quite the same!
You may be familiar with the Singapore Sling as a saccharine premix which tastes like fruit punch, but that form of the cocktail was dreamed up for tourists in the 1980s. A true Singapore Sling is nuanced, rich in ingredients, tasting both fruity and herbal.
Ingredients:
- ¾ ounce gin
- ¼ ounce Grand Marnier
- ¼ ounce Benedictine
- ¼ ounce Heering cherry liqueur
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- ½ ounce lime juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- Club soda, chilled, to top
- Garnish: cherry
- Garnish: orange slice
Steps:
- Into a shaker, add gin, cherry liqueur, Benedictine, lime juice, bitters, pineapple juice and ice. Shake until quite chilled.
- Over fresh ice, strain mixture into a highball glass. Top with club soda.
- Garnish with the cherry and orange slice.
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- Place mango in a blender or food processor.
- Add the water, lime juice and sugar.
- Blend well until it’s a smooth purée.
- 8 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces dry vermouth
- 1 cup ice
- 2 mangoes/2 cups frozen mango cubes
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 3 teaspoons sugar
Thai Mango Martini
Something truly exquisite takes a little extra effort: to make a perfect Thai Mango Martini, blend fresh mangoes instead of using packaged juice. This drink is a perfectly summery treat, an injection of fruit with a lively natural taste.
Ingredients:
Mango Puree:
Martinis:
Steps:
Mango Puree:
Martinis:
- Create mangoo purée and leave in the blender.
- Add vodka, vermouth and a handful of ice.
- Blend until smooth.
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- 1 ½ ounces sake
- ½ ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce Cointreau
- Splash fresh lime juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Cherry Blossom-tini
Sake is the key to this delicate, summer-y cocktail which smacks of cranberry! It’s a twist on the cosmo created specially for Gekkeikan Sake, perfect for accompanying dinner - especially if teriyaki is on the menu!
Ingredients:
Steps:
- In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, pour the sake, orange liqueur, lime juice, and cranberry juice
- Shake.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.