Singapore’s iconic cocktail, the pink-hued Singapore Sling, is once again delighting guests at its historic home in the famous Raffles Hotel Long Bar.
The completely restored Long Bar is the first venue to reopen at Raffles Hotel, after the hotel and complex closed for a complete renovation in late 2017, and the cocktail’s homecoming heralds in a new age of colonial decadence at this ever-famous Singaporean monument.
Reinstated in its original location at Raffles Hotel Arcade, the Long Bar boasts tropical 1920s Malayan inspired interiors in earthy tones with plenty of rattan and cane furnishings. In keeping with the bar's relaxed vibe, guests are still encouraged to nibble the free peanuts from gunny sacks and throw the shells straight on the bar’s floor.
The Singapore Sling was created at Raffles Hotel in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. The etiquette of the times dictated that ladies could not consume alcohol in public, so Ngiam set about creating a cocktail that looked like plain fruit juice, but was infused with gin and liqueurs. It was an instant success and is still enjoyed by travellers and locals alike more than 100 years after its creation.
The Long Bar continues to make the Singapore Sling to Ngiam’s original recipe, however, they have elevated the ingredients to suit today’s modern palate. This includes specially made all-natural Crawley’s ‘Singapore Sling’ Grenadine, exclusive to Raffles Hotel, which gives the Sling its signature pink colour.
The Long Bar is open daily from 11am to 11pm and serves a selection of craft cocktails.
Raffles Hotel, which recently featured on the big screen in the worldwide movie phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians, is slated for its grand reopening in mid-2019 and has commenced accepting reservations from 1 August 2019 onwards.
By Ria De Jong
