The iconic Singapore Sling cocktail, widely regarded as Singapore’s national drink, was created in 1915 by the Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon and although the cocktail is consumed by thousands of people each year (a whopping 500 slings are served each day at the Long Bar!), few people know the story behind the drink.

Back when Singapore was a British Colony, Raffles Singapore was the gathering place for the British community and Long Bar was the watering hole.

Around this time, ladies were not supposed to be seen drinking alcoholic beverages in public according to the British customs of that time. When Ngiam Tong Boon realised this, he decided to create a special cocktail that the ladies could enjoy. 

He used Gin, Cherry Heering, Benedictine Dom, Cointreau, pineapple juice, lime juice, a dash of Angostura bitters and camouflaged it with the pink Grenadine syrup. The end result looked like a fruit cocktail. The pink masking cleverly led people into thinking it was a socially acceptable punch for the ladies. With that, the Singapore Sling was born. 

In their infographic below, Raffles Hotel Singapore tells the untold story of the Singapore Sling and share their original recipe of the drink. They also introduce six different variations of the cocktail to fit each and every taste.

www.raffles.com