Sipping Singapore Slings at the famed Raffles Hotel in Singapore!

“Would you like me to clear the table for you, madame?” With one swoop of his arm he brushed the peanut shells off the table and they fell to the growing pile on the floor. I stared at the waiter with mild horror and walked towards my seat crunching the peanut shells under my feet. Did he really just do that?

I had come to the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel for the same reason everyone else does; to sip on a Singapore Sling in the very hotel where the drink was invented in the early 1900s.

Inside the bar was dark and inviting. Palm shaped fans created a cooling breeze, while guests from around the world leaned back in wicker chairs and enjoyed their pink drinks in hand – everyone in the room was sipping a Singapore Sling.

I scanned the room and noticed that piles of peanut shells were littered around the chairs and the tables at the Long Bar.

What was the meaning of this?

It was too messy to be careless behaviour…was there a tradition behind it all?

Our Experience Drinking A Singapore Sling At The Raffles Hotel

I got up to take a few photos and that’s when I noticed the sign:

Quite possible the one place in Singapore where littering is actually encouraged. Never would we suggest you break the law. But at the Long Bar at Raffles, feel free to brush your peanut shells onto the floor… 

Apparently the Long Bar is one of 18 unique establishments at the Raffles Hotel where breaking culinary rules is the norm. It’s only at the end of the day when the bar is ready to close that the peanuts shells are finally swept away.

While no one can say for sure when or why this tradition originated, my guess is that the waiters got tired of sweeping the floor 50 times a day and behold a new tradition was born!

When the waiter returned with the menu, I was in for a bit of a shock. I gulped as I read the price:

Singapore Sling…………….$27

The Singapore Sling Is Expensive

But here I was, sitting at the Long Bar. In the Raffles Hotel. In Singapore. I ordered one up and thought to myself, people in Manhattan are probably paying a lot more for a drink in the city on a Friday night – let’s do this!

Minutes later my drink appeared in a hurricane shaped glass – a punch of pink with a foamy top, garnished with a Maraschino cherry and a slice of pineapple.

It was my first Singapore Sling ever. I may not be a cocktail expert – I certainly can’t distinguish brandy from gin – however, I can’t think of a better place to enjoy this classic.

My only regret is that I didn’t make it to any of the other 18 bars and restaurants where you’re allowed to toss food on the ground. It looks like I have a good reason to come back to Singapore now!

Making the Most of Your Visit to the Long Bar

How the Singapore Sling Came to Be

In 1915, Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender at Raffles, found himself working in a colonial society where women were expected to sip tea or fruit juice while the men nursed glasses of neat gin. His solution was elegant: a sweet, blush-pink cocktail that looked innocuous enough to pass Victorian scrutiny but packed a respectable gin punch underneath. Grenadine and Cherry Heering provided the delicate colour; the gin did the rest. The result was the Singapore Sling — and it quickly became the socially acceptable loophole for expats and their guests who wanted something considerably stronger than lemonade.

Worth knowing: The current house recipe at Raffles is a modern reconstruction based on historic notes rather than an unbroken line from Ngiam’s original. Ask the bartender about the history behind the recipe — it’s worth a few minutes of conversation while you wait for your drink.

Understanding the Price

Yes, S$27–S$32 (with service charge and GST) is a lot for a single cocktail. The honest way to think about it: you’re paying for three things at once.

1. The venue — a National Monument where Somerset Maugham reportedly plotted short stories over gin and tonics in this very room.
2. The glass — a hurricane goblet you’re allowed to keep if you go for the premium “Collector’s Sling” at approximately S$38, which they can box for you to take on your flight home.
3. Unlimited peanuts — which sounds like a joke but you will genuinely work your way through a surprising quantity of them while you wait for your seat.

If you genuinely just want to taste the drink without the setting, bars along nearby Purvis Street serve respectable Singapore Slings for around S$15. But they don’t have the ceiling fans, the wicker chairs, or the floor covered in peanut shells.

The Peanut-Shell Tradition: Two Theories

No one can definitively explain how the peanut-shell floor tradition started, but the two most plausible theories are:

1. Practical origins: Early 1900s Singapore was extremely humid; ground-up shells on rattan floors could absorb condensation and spilled drinks, functioning a bit like sawdust in an old pub.
2. Status signal: Ostentatiously littering in a city with strict rules about such things was a way of demonstrating that inside Raffles, different standards applied — the kind of pointed exception that only a very grand hotel could get away with.

Whatever the truth, the staff actively encourage you to join in. I was initially startled when the waiter swept my table shells onto the pile on the floor — but once you understand the tradition, there’s something genuinely satisfying about contributing to it.

Practical Information Before You Go

What Else to Do at Raffles Once the Glass Is Empty

The Long Bar is reason enough to visit, but the hotel itself rewards a longer look around:

1. Raffles Boutique — Next to the lobby. The tea-scented candles and monogrammed travel accessories are genuinely lovely; this is one of the better hotel gift shops I’ve been in anywhere.
2. Heritage Gallery — A free mini-museum tucked behind the grand staircase with photographs going back decades, original documents, and exhibits on the hotel’s most notable guests.
3. Writers Bar — A quieter cocktail alternative with a menu curated around literary themes. Good choice if you want a second drink somewhere less busy after the Long Bar.
4. Tiffin Room Curry Buffet — The iconic North Indian spread served in brass tiffin carriers has been a Singapore institution for over a century. Lunchtime seatings fill up — book well in advance.
5. Palm Court — The inner courtyards are primarily reserved for hotel guests in the evenings, but it’s worth a polite enquiry with staff if you want a look at what the post-renovation grounds are like.

Recreating the Sling at Home

The closest version to the 1915 original — based on Ngiam’s known recipe notes — uses the following:

• 30 ml London dry gin
• 15 ml Cherry Heering liqueur
• 7.5 ml Cointreau
• 7.5 ml Bénédictine
• 10 ml grenadine (or fresh pomegranate syrup for a less sweet version)
• 10 ml fresh lime juice
• 60 ml pineapple juice
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake hard with ice until frothy, strain into a hurricane glass, and garnish with a pineapple spear and a maraschino cherry. The froth on top is the thing — it means you’ve shaken it properly.

Serving suggestion: Satay skewers with peanut sauce alongside the drink keeps the tropical feel going and is a genuinely good flavour combination.

Other Bars Around the World With Unusual Traditions

If tossing peanut shells on the floor appealed to your inner rule-breaker, these are worth adding to the bucket list:

Is It Worth the Hype? An Honest Assessment

Why it works:

• The setting is genuinely transporting — the palm fans, the wicker chairs, and the Peranakan tile details put you somewhere else entirely
• The bartenders are precise — this is not a tourist shortcut version of the drink
• The peanut ritual and the overall atmosphere make for a memorable hour that photographs well and is fun to explain to people later

The honest caveats:

• Two drinks will cost a couple around S$65 with service and tax — plan for this rather than being surprised
• Thursday to Saturday evenings mean a wait; the peanuts help pass the time but it’s worth knowing
• If you prefer drier, more complex cocktails, the Sling will read as sweet to a modern palate — that’s not a flaw, it’s historically accurate, but worth knowing before you order

My honest take: go once for the lore and the setting. Then explore what Singapore’s current cocktail scene looks like — Atlas Bar, Jigger & Pony, and Native are all doing genuinely original work that’s worth a second night out.

A Half-Day in Colonial Singapore: A Suggested Route

1. 2:00pm — National Gallery Singapore rooftop for skyline views and a coffee before the afternoon begins
2. 3:30pm — Walk Bras Basah Road; St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the CHIJMES cloisters are both worth a look and take 20–30 minutes together
3. 4:15pm — Browse the Raffles Arcade, then settle into the Long Bar for 5pm — queue is shorter than peak but the afternoon light is good
4. 6:30pm — Walk to the Esplanade via the underpass for golden-hour views across Marina Bay
5. 7:30pm — Hawker dinner at Lau Pa Sat — satay for S$4 a skewer after a S$27 cocktail feels like excellent value in retrospect

Tours and Experiences Worth Booking in Singapore

The Long Bar visit slots naturally into a broader Singapore day — the colonial district around Raffles is walkable and full of things worth seeing. These are the tours worth considering:

• Singapore Hawker Food Tour — the essential counterpart to the Raffles experience; where the Sling represents colonial luxury, Singapore’s hawker centres represent the city at its most democratic and delicious. A guided tour takes you past the dishes you wouldn’t know to order — char kway teow, Hokkien mee, chilli crab — with a local who can explain what you’re eating and why it matters. Well-reviewed options available on Viator and GetYourGuide.
• Singapore Colonial Heritage Walking Tour — covers the civic district around City Hall, the Padang, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and the Raffles area in a 2–3 hour guided walk. The historical context makes the Long Bar visit land differently when you understand the colonial period it emerged from.
• Gardens by the Bay + Marina Bay Evening Tour — the Supertree Grove light show at Gardens by the Bay is a reasonable distance from Raffles and makes for a satisfying evening continuation after the Sling. Combination tickets and guided evening tours are widely available.

Where to Stay Near Raffles and the Colonial District

The area around Raffles — City Hall, Marina Bay, the civic district — is one of the best-located parts of Singapore for accessing both the historic sights and the modern waterfront. Staying here means easy access to the Long Bar, Gardens by the Bay, the National Gallery, and the Marina Bay Sands light show.

• Splurge: Raffles Hotel itself — the obvious choice if the colonial experience is the whole point of your stay; famously renovated and restored, with a room cost that puts the S$32 Sling in perspective
• Luxury alternative: The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore — housed in a beautifully restored 1930s building directly in the colonial district; a genuinely beautiful property with better rates than Raffles on most nights
• Mid-range: Hotel Fort Canning — set within Fort Canning Park with excellent access to Dhoby Ghaut MRT; elegant, well-reviewed, and considerably easier on the wallet than the five-star options
• Budget-conscious: Little India and Chinatown offer good value guesthouses and hostels within 15–20 minutes of Raffles by MRT — Singapore’s public transport is excellent and the MRT takes the distance out of staying further from the centre

FAQ: Visiting the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore

Planning to sip a Singapore Sling where it was invented? Here are the questions most visitors ask before stepping into the Long Bar.

Why is the Singapore Sling at Raffles so famous?

The Singapore Sling was created here in 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon as a socially acceptable way for women to enjoy a proper drink in a colonial setting where that would otherwise have raised eyebrows. Its blush-pink colour looked like fruit juice; the gin punch was the secret. Over a century later, the Long Bar is still the place where people come to taste the original — or at least the closest modern reconstruction of it.

How much does a Singapore Sling cost at Raffles?

The classic Sling is approximately S$27–S$32 once you include service charge and GST. The Collector’s Sling — which comes with a boxed hurricane glass to take home — is slightly more. Prices are subject to change so check the current menu on the Raffles website before you go. You’re not just paying for the drink; you’re paying for the setting, the history, and the peanuts.

Is it really worth paying that much for a cocktail?

Depends what you’re after. If you want craft-cocktail innovation, there are better places and better value in Singapore. If you want to sit under colonial-era ceiling fans in a National Monument, toss peanut shells on the floor in a city famous for fining you for littering, and drink the cocktail that started here — yes, once, it’s absolutely worth it.

What’s the story behind the peanut shells on the floor?

Guests are actively encouraged to drop shells on the floor — one of the only places in Singapore where littering is not just permitted but part of the experience. The origins aren’t definitively documented: some say it was practical (shells absorbed spills on the original rattan floors), others say it was a deliberate show of status. The staff sweep everything away only when the bar closes for the night.

Do I need a reservation?

No reservations are taken for the Long Bar — it’s first-come, first-served. For shorter queues, aim for around 2pm or after 9pm. Larger groups (10+) can email the Raffles events team in advance for a private Sling masterclass option.

What should I wear?

Smart-casual. Neat shorts and sandals are fine; beachwear is not. Most visitors dress up slightly because it’s Raffles — there’s something about the building that makes you want to make an effort.

When is it busiest and when should I go?

Peak times are 4–7pm when business travellers and tourists both converge. Come earlier in the afternoon or later in the evening for a more relaxed experience. Weekend queues can reach 15–20 minutes, which the unlimited peanuts help manage.

Is there more to do at Raffles beyond the Long Bar?

Quite a bit. The Heritage Gallery is free and genuinely interesting. The Raffles Boutique is one of the better hotel gift shops you’ll come across. The Writers Bar makes for a quieter second drink. And the Tiffin Room curry buffet is worth booking for lunch if you’re planning to spend time at the hotel — reserve ahead as it fills up.

Are there cheaper places to try a Singapore Sling nearby?

Yes — bars along Purvis Street, a short walk from Raffles, serve reliable Slings for around S$15. A pragmatic approach: Raffles for the experience, Purvis Street for a second round at a more sensible price.

Can I make a Singapore Sling at home?

Yes — and it’s more achievable than it looks. The recipe section above has everything you need. The key ingredients are gin, Cherry Heering, Cointreau, Bénédictine, grenadine, lime, pineapple juice, and bitters. Shake it hard until genuinely frothy before straining — the froth is what makes it look right in the glass.

How long should I plan to spend at the Long Bar?

Most people stay 45 minutes to an hour for the drink itself. If you want to look around the hotel more broadly — boutique, Heritage Gallery, courtyard — allow 1.5–2 hours total.

Is it good for solo visitors or only groups?

Both work well. Solo, there’s something quite cinematic about sitting at the bar alone with a pink drink and a pile of peanuts. In a group, the ritual of everyone ordering the same thing and taking the same photos is its own kind of fun. The mixology workshop option is particularly good for groups who want a structured experience.

Have you ever had a Singapore Sling?
Have you been to a bar or a restaurant with any quirky traditions?