There are certain travel rituals that follow you long before you ever set foot in a place. In Singapore, one stands above the rest. “You have to try a Singapore Sling.” It’s said by friends, guidebooks, taxi drivers, and that one person who went once ten years ago and still talks about it. And when everyone insists on the same thing, you start to wonder… is it actually worth it?
I’m here to tell you: yes – but not for the reason you think.
Ordering a Singapore Sling isn’t really about the drink. It’s about stepping into a story.
Walking into History at Raffles
To understand the Singapore Sling, you have to start with where it lives. Raffles Hotel is not just a hotel, it’s an institution. Opened in 1887, it feels like a preserved slice of colonial-era Singapore, all whitewashed walls, dark wood, slow ceiling fans and an atmosphere that hums with history. You half expect to see a writer in linen hunched over a notebook in the corner.
The Long Bar, where the Sling was born, sits tucked inside this grandeur, but don’t expect hushed reverence. It’s lively, loud and slightly chaotic. There’s a hum of conversation, the clatter of glasses, and a constant crunch underfoot of peanut shells.
The Peanut Shells on the Floor
Before your drink even arrives, you’re handed a small sack of peanuts. You crack them open, eat them, and then do something that feels wildly wrong, you throw the shells on the floor.
In famously spotless Singapore, where rules are taken seriously and littering can land you a fine, this is one of the only places where you are invited to make a mess. It feels rebellious, oddly freeing, and completely part of the ritual.
By the time your drink arrives, the floor is carpeted in shells and the whole place feels alive in a way that’s impossible to manufacture.
The Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling was created sometime around 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a bartender at Raffles. At a time when it wasn’t considered appropriate for women to drink alcohol in public, he crafted something that looked like fruit juice but packed a punch. A clever bit of social engineering disguised as a cocktail.
The modern version is a complex mix. Gin, cherry liqueur, Benedictine, pineapple juice, lime and a hint of bitters. It arrives tall, pink and unapologetically tropical. Sweet, slightly sharp, easy to drink in a way that feels dangerous considering what’s actually in it.
Is it the best cocktail you’ll ever have? Maybe not, but that’s missing the point.
The Price Everyone Warns You About
Let’s address it. Yes, it’s expensive. You’ll likely pay upwards of £25 for one drink. And yes, you can get a technically similar version elsewhere for a fraction of the price, and that’s without the added taxes and services charges.
But you’re not paying for the ingredients, you’re paying for the setting, the history, the ritual of it all. The peanuts. The noise. The fact that you’re sitting where generations of travellers have sat, doing exactly the same thing, for over a century.
It’s theatre. And you’re part of the performance. Just make sure you eat enough peanuts to get your money’s worth!
Why It Becomes a “You Have to Do It” Moment
There’s a reason people insist on it, and it isn’t the taste. The Singapore Sling has become more than a cocktail, it’s a shared travel experience, a kind of unofficial initiation into the city.
You arrive sceptical. You order one because you feel you should. You laugh at the price, crunch peanuts, take a sip and if you’re like me, you discuss the price and the experience with the person seated next to you.
Somewhere between the second and third mouthful, it clicks. You’re not just drinking something famous, instead you are participating in a tradition. One that has survived world wars, reinventions of the city, and the relentless pace of modern Singapore.
The Verdict
So yes, when you go to Singapore, you should have a Singapore Sling.
Not because it’s the best cocktail in the world, and certainly not because it’s good value, but because travel is made up of these moments. The ones that are a little indulgent, slightly touristy and completely memorable.
You’ll leave with sticky fingers, peanut shells in your shoes, and a story you’ll find yourself repeating to someone else one day.
“You have to try a Singapore Sling.