Singapore’s cocktail scene has earned praise for being elegant, edgy and idiosyncratic. This summer, an establishment in the city-state was crowned the best bar in the world, according to a ranking. But this confluence of award-winning bars operates in the shadow of a drink invented in the city when it was a British colony: the Singapore Sling. Shortly before 11 a.m. on a recent Friday, more than two dozen patrons, mostly tourists, were queuing to enter the Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar, reputedly the birthplace of the Sling in 1915. Many had come to drink the fruity, gin-infused cocktail and chew peanuts before throwing the shells on the floor, as is tradition, even in a country that imposes heavy fines for littering and forces repeat offenders to clean up the spaces. public. The cost, more than 50 Singapore dollars, or about 40 dollars after taxes, does not deter visitors. The bar says it sells around 1,000 servings a day and that nine out of 10 customers order them. They come from all over the world and are eager to hear stories from the waiters about the history of the Sling. “When you read travel articles about Singapore, they often mention the Long Bar as a must-do; you should come here and drink the Sling and throw the peanut shells on the floor,” said Fan Sun Kai, 33, a visitor from Taiwan who was drinking it for the first time and concluded that it was “quite tasty.” The Long Bar, located in the 139-year-old Raffles Hotel, is dominated by a wooden spiral staircase, where sacks of peanuts were placed. Punkah mechanical ceiling fans, historically hand-operated, created a gentle breeze. A sign outside the bar urged patrons to “drink like a plantation owner in the early 20th century.” A hand-cranked cast iron cocktail mixing machine, called the Sling Shaker, which can shake up to 18 Slings at a time, was also a big draw for customers. Despite its old appearance, it was only installed in 2018 and sometimes the agitators don’t even fill when the machine is running. Kevin Appleby, 67, an Englishman who first visited the Long Bar with his wife, Helen, in 2002, wryly praised the Sling’s “marketing strategy.” “They scam people out of a lot of money for a drink that’s probably worth a couple of dollars,” he said. “But it’s the experience you’re paying for at the end of the day, being in the Raffles Hotel and the Long Bar.” Known to the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and Anthony Bourdain, the Sling is generally taught in bartending schools as a classic drink and frequently features in Singapore tourism campaigns. According to the official history of the Raffles Hotel, the Sling was invented in 1915 by Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, initially as a means for respectable ladies to disguise the fact that they were drinking in public. Cocktail ingredients include cherry liqueur, pineapple juice, Cointreau and gin. There is now a life-sized figure of Ngiam at the entrance to the Long Bar. While other bars serve Sling, which is also available on Singapore Airlines, the Long Bar version uses customized ingredients alongside locally sourced ingredients, and the recipe was last tweaked in 2018 to “fit the modern palate”, said Jesmine Hall, trade marketing director at Raffles Singapore. The original version was said to be much sweeter. Asked about criticism that Sling amounts to little more than a tourist trap, Ms. Hall alluded to the drink’s global appeal, which has endured for a century. “To take part in this rich cocktail experience at Long Bar, its birthplace, is to take part in cocktail history since 1915, which has put Singapore on the world map and helped establish the local cocktail bar scene that is flourishing today,” he said. Within a four-mile radius of the Long Bar are establishments such as Jigger & Pony, Nutmeg & Clove, Offtrack and Origin, which have consistently placed on lists of the best bars in the world. Another, Fura, was proclaimed the best bar in the world at a ceremony in New Orleans in July. (The Long Bar has also appeared on some best-of lists.) Most of these bars, where cocktails start at S$25, or around $20, serve the Sling or their own version. The latter are among their best sellers. “The Singapore Sling seems to have more respect among people outside Singapore than among Singaporeans themselves,” said Joash Conceicao, bar manager at Offtrack. “But I enjoy that Singapore actually has a history of classic cocktails, even though people sometimes say that Singapore lacks some culture or deep history.” Origin beverage director Adam Bursik said the drink was universal as none of the ingredients originated in Singapore and were readily available. Nutmeg & Clove founder Colin Chia said it was rare to have the name of a country on a drink and be recognized globally as a classic cocktail. This is something to be proud of, “no matter what you think about the taste”, and all bars in Singapore should serve Sling or a version of it, he said. At Jigger & Pony, reservations are a must as it is often full. The bar’s operations manager, Martin Villareal, said that when tourists and locals alike asked for recommendations, they were often directed to Long Bar. “Because it’s more than just a drink, it’s an experience,” he said. Acknowledging that the Singapore Sling is not an everyday drink for many Singaporeans, Derrick Lim, general manager of private wine club 67 Pall Mall, said it nevertheless had cultural significance. “Its importance lies in its history, its connection to a particular place and its ability to carry Singapore’s name around the world,” he said.
