I Cannot Tell a Lie

Refrain from drink which is the source of all evil--and the ruin of half the workmen in this Country. - George Washington

It's Presidents' Day in America and I'm celebrating my favorite president's birthday with a cocktail.

George Washington is my favorite president. Independent, intelligent, hardworking, balanced and gosh darnit, just a nice guy.

It's no secret Washington had a distillery at Mount Vernon. Rye whiskey and mead were the drinks of choice brewed up by the Father of Our Country. So it makes sense to celebrate his birthday with a whiskey or honey-based drink.

Or.

Even though it's largely believed he didn't actually cut down a cherry tree*, Washington is closely associated with cherries. And February is National Cherry Month. So I'm going a more modern and palatable route with the drink suggestion.

There are some very tasty cherry wines. I recommend any cherry wine from the great state of Michigan. Look for something from the Traverse Bay area. Cherry Republic (the best destination for all things cherry) has a very good Balaton cherry wine. (Balaton cherries are a tart cherry primarily used in cooking. The cherry tree breed originated in Hungary, but is thriving brilliantly in Michigan.) Cherry Republic also has a lovely Cherry Juice for those who prefer their cherries without fermentation. (Once you have this stuff in your kitchen you'll be amazed how often you add it to your recipes. I highly suggest adding about 1/4 cup of their cherry juice to any salsa. You'll never eat salsa without cherry juice again.) Chateau Grand Traverse has a few good cherry wine varieties. Black Star Farms has a nice, inexpensive cherry wine and a hard apple cherry cider.

Right. You came here to drink. And drink we shall. This might seem an odd choice for Washington's Birthday. I'm pretty sure George never made it to Singapore. But once you look at the ingredients I think you'll agree it's the perfect libation to toast George Washington's February 22 birthday.

There are many versions of the Singapore Sling. Fundamentally the drink is comprised of Gin and Cherry Brandy, and every recipe contains those two beverages as their base. I'm suggesting a basic, easy to prepare version without a lot of ingredients to gather. Once you make the basic version you can experiment to match your specific tastes. Often two ounces of gin are used instead of one, but be warned, that will result in a fairly stiff drink that might catch you off guard because these things go down like KoolAde.

Singapore Sling

What you'll need: 

1/2 oz Grenadine

1 oz Gin

Sour mix

Club Soda

1/2 oz Cherry Brandy (Kirsch, Kirschwasser, and Dekuyper are widely available)
Ice
Collins or Hurricane Glass

How you'll construct it:
Pour Grenadine into the bottom of a Collins (or Hurricane) glass; then fill with ice. 
Add gin. 
Fill glass to almost full with equal parts Sour Mix and chilled Club Soda.  
Top with a float* of Cherry Brandy. 
Serve unstirred. 
Garnish with a cherry. 

*A "float" is any liquid, often a liqueur or juice, poured on top of a drink and not mixed. The liquid floats on the top of the drink. (A stone float is orange juice poured on top of a mixed drink.)


A tasty virgin version of the above Singapore Sling recipe: Substitute 7Up for the Gin and Maraschino Cherry juice for the Cherry Brandy. (It's basically a Shirley Temple.)


If you prefer a stronger flavor and a livelier mix presentation, get out your shaker and rocks or shot glasses.
Add ice, Gin, Grenadine and Sour Mix and Cherry Brandy in the shaker. 
Gently shake - less agitation than a martini, more than a roll. 
Strain into rocks or shot glass (without ice).  



*The cherry tree story is believed to be nothing more than marketing propaganda to sell books circa ~1800. Marketing, baby, marketing.