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Dining
Long Bar
Where the Singapore Sling was born
The historic Long Bar is where the Singapore Sling, widely regarded as the national drink, was first mixed in 1915. Today the rich, earthy decor of the two-storey bar is inspired by Malayan life in the 1920s, and the famous counter gleams amid decorative motifs that transport us to a tropical plantation. The menu features classic and signature cocktails and, in keeping with the relaxed atmosphere, guests are invited to brush peanut shells off the bar and onto the floor – quite possibly the only place in Singapore where littering is encouraged.
Long Bar and the Singapore Sling
In colonial Singapore of the early 1900s, when improved rail and road systems were bringing rubber and palm oil plantation owners to Singapore from Malaya every weekend, Long Bar was located at Cad's Alley. Not a formal bar, but rather tables placed next to each other facing Bras Basah Road, it was known as 'the rendezvous of planters', a good vantage point for watching the world go by.
It was common to see gentlemen nursing glasses of gin or whisky, but etiquette dictated that the ladies could not consume alcohol in public. For the sake of modesty, they were served with teas and fruit juices. In 1915, resourceful Raffles bartender Ngiam Tong Boon decided to create a cocktail that looked like plain fruit juice but was actually infused with gin and liqueurs. Based on gin, it also contains pineapple juice, lime juice, curaçao and Bénédictine, while grenadine and cherry liqueur give it its rosy pink hue. This deliberately feminine touch, together with the use of clear alcohol, led people to believe the cocktail was socially acceptable for women. With that, the Singapore Sling was born and, needless to say, it became an instant hit.
Today, in partnership with the ecoSPIRITS Forest Programme, Raffles Hotel Singapore plants a native tree in the Kalimantan or Sumatran rainforest for every 25 Singapore Slings ordered, leaving a permanent legacy of carbon reduction and reforestation of endangered wild areas.