A Sling, so we are told by long-ago writers, is "an American drink composed of brandy, rum, or other spirit, and water, sweetened and flavored," and had nothing to do with "the slings and arrows of out­rageous fortune," so feelingly bespoken by Hamlet in his morose soliloquy.

As long ago as 1788 a certain shipwrecked scribe recorded that he and his mates found "a case-bottle filled with Holland's [gin], of which each of us took a sling." This indicates the word originally had the same meaning as "draught," "pull," or "swig," as Americans describe the swigging of a healthy mouth­ful from a jug.

A Bitter Sling, quite a favorite in the old days as an electioneering potion, was described in 1806 thus: "a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters."

Singapore Sling

½ jigger dry gin

½ jigger apricot brandy

½ jigger cherry brandy

½ lime—juice only

seltzer water

To sling this drink you must first provide yourself with a highball glass nearly filled with cracked ice. In it squeeze the juice of a lime, then add the gin, cherry brandy, benedic-tine, and all that can go in of seltzer water. Frappe with a spoon, or in a shaker. Garnish with fruit.

This is a drink that makes you itch to travel—or anyway step out. In olden times a drink was slung fromone mug to another in mixing, and that's how the Sling derived its name. The word itself came from the Low German slingen, which means to swallow.

Here's slinging at you.

Sloe Gin Singapore Sling

1 jigger sloe gin

½ jigger dry gin

½ jigger apricot brandy

½ jigger cherry brandy

½ lime juice only 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix in a 12-ounce highball glass. First the sugar, then the lime juice, the two brandies, the two gins. Stir, fill two-thirds with c racked ice, and fill to the brim with seltzer. Decorate with a slice of orange, a slice of pineapple, and a cherry.

Stone Fence

1 jigger rye whiskey sweet cider

3 lumps ice

Pour the jigger of whiskey in a tall glass, drop in the three lumps or cubes of ice and fill to the brim with the unfer-mented cider. All left to do is to stir and sip.

Washington Irving, in his Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York, claimed the Dutch-Americans were inventors of "sherry-cobbler" and "stone-face," and in 1809 Irving also claimed that the original settlers of New Amsterdam were responsible for the naming of the "cocktail."

Why whiskey and sweet cider, joined in holy wet-lock should figure under so unemotional a name as "stone-fence" is matter for deliberation. One punster quips: "Drink enough and you'll overcome all obsta­cles and never take offense."

Originally the name "stone fence" was applied to an applejack and sweet cider combination, and those in the know will tell you that as sweet cider ferments it develops into applejack.

However it may develop one thing is certain—it's one of the hard liquors that is powerfully easy to take.

"A glass of swizzle, the most salubrim beverage in hot weather." 18US.

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