For its small size, Singapore certainly has a stealth selection of offerings. The city is renowned for its luxury duty-free shopping, dramatic skyline (particularly around Marina Bay and the ‘boat’ topping the Marina Bay Sands), spectacular marina light shows, year-round summers (and humid stickiness), superb cleanliness, hawker street foods and sensational seafood.
But one tradition that many tourists undertake while in Singapore (and I’m very much one of them) is sipping a legendary Singapore Sling cocktail (or three) while seated at the Raffles Singapore Hotel Long Bar.
This deliciously refreshing, tall glass, ruby cocktail was initially created by Raffles barman Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915 to quench the thirst of British Colonial upper-class women.
Back then, it was considered improper for women to drink alcohol in public, but fruit juice was acceptable.
Boon creatively infused his tropical pineapple and lime fruit juice drink with gin, Cointreau, Dom Benedictine, cherry brandy and grenadine to give it the feminine pink colouring. Naturally, it was an instant hit amongst his clientele.