1 teaspoon of powdered or superfine sugar
1 oz water
2 oz rye whiskey
Ice (one big cube is more impressive if you have it. If not, any ice will do.)
Stir sugar into water to dissolve. Add rye whiskey & ice & stir to combine. A garnish wouldn’t have been traditional in the 1700s but we added a lemon twist for a little flair and color.
Other than punch, we weren’t drinking many mixed drinks in the 1700s, but we were cutting a lot of our spirits with water as we drank them. Toddies, Grog, & Slings were all popular in this era, and they were are all forms of spirits mixed with water. The main difference between them was how much water was mixed in. Basically, a Sling is stronger because it has a bit less water than a Toddy, and unlike Toddies which were usually warm, Slings could be served either warm or cold. Both usually had sugar added, and often were topped with some grated nutmeg, especially if served warm.
Like Toddies, Slings were definitely one of the most popular drinks in America for a very long time and appeared in print many times over the years. In fact, when the word “cocktail” first appeared in print in a Hudson NY newspaper in 1806, it was described to the reader as a “bittered sling” meaning that along with the water, sugar, & spirits; bitters were added.
At that time in cocktail history, mixed drinks also weren’t usually spirit specific. You could substitute any spirit you wanted and it would still be considered the same mixed drink. Gin was probably the most popular liquor for a sling at that time, but whiskey was very popular as well.