Patrick Comerford
We have been staying in Singapore for just one night, flying in from Kuching yesterday, and catching a flight on to Paris later this evening, and hopefully travelling on to Birmingham and to Stony Stratford later tomorrow.
Of course I have taken the opportunities this short visit offers to visit some of the cathedrals, churches and architectural sites in Singapore, to stroll through Chinatown, and walk and have dinner by the river.
Last night we also had to take this opportunity to visit Raffles Singapore on Beach Road, an outstanding work of classic colonial architecture in the heart of the business and civic district with its tall skyscrapers, and strolled through the Raffles Arcade.
But we also had to visit the Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was first mixed in 1915. Today the rich, the decor of the two-storey bar is inspired by Malayan life in the 1920s, and the famous counter gleams amid decorative motifs that evoke a tropical plantation.
The menu features classic and signature cocktails, but we had to try a Singapore Sling, which returned to the Long Bar In November 2018 following a restoration of Raffles Hotel that lasted 2½ years. It is a tradition in the Long Bar to brush peanut shells off the bar and onto the floor – quite possibly the only place in Singapore where littering is encouraged.
The Singapore Sling was first created in 1915 by the Raffles bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. It is primarily a gin-based cocktail, but the Singapore Sling also contains pineapple juice, lime juice, curaçao and Bénédictine. Ngiam deliberately chose to give the cocktail its rosy colour, and it gets its pretty pink hue from grenadine and cherry liqueur.
In colonial Singapore at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Raffles was the gathering place for the colonial community, and the Long Bar was the watering hole. While the men nursing glasses of gin or whisky, it was unacceptable could not drink alcohol in public, and they were served tea or fruit juice instead.
Ngiam saw a niche in the market and decided to create a cocktail that looks like plain fruit juice but is actually infused with gin and liqueurs. He made the beverage pink to give it a feminine flair which, together with the use of clear alcohol, led people to think it was a socially acceptable drink for women. With that, the Singapore Sling was born, and it became an instant hit.
Raffles was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, and first opened in 1887. The place and soon became a haven for world travellers. Writers, actors, fil stars, dignitaries and journalists have all found inspiration there, and the celebrated guests have included Rudyard Kipling, Elizabeth Taylor, Somerset Maugham, Ava Gardner and Noel Coward.
Thanks to them and myriad other guests over the decades, the Long Bar’s Singapore Sling gained international fame, along with exciting tales – such as the one involving a tiger in the Bar and Billiard Room.
With its beautifully preserved colonial-style atmosphere, it was declared a National Monument in 1987. Raffles has been restored extensively in recent years, with newly opened bars, restaurants and boutiques.
After our Singapore Slings, we strolled in the night air through the courtyards and the lush tropical gardens. The hustle and bustle of busy Singapore seemed so distant from the verandahs and the rustle of palm leaves in the breeze.
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