The Singapore Sling is often touted as the 'national drink' of Singapore, but for many decades, the original recipe was actually lost. When the Raffles Hotel wanted to bring the drink back in the 1970s, they had no record of the original 1915 formula. They had to rely on the memories of former bartenders and notes scrawled on the back of receipts. The modern version—bright pink and heavy on pineapple juice—is likely much sweeter and more juice-forward than the original 'gin sling' of the early 20th century. This highlights a common issue in cocktail history: because recipes were rarely written down and bartenders were often transient, many 'classic' recipes are actually modern reconstructions based on oral tradition.