Local legend or tourist trap? 111 years of Singapore Sling
This feature explores the history and cultural significance of the Singapore Sling, a cocktail invented in 1915 at the Raffles Hotel. It examines how the drink evolved from a clever loophole for women drinking in public to a globally recognized national symbol.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of culinary history, tourism, and national identity in Singapore.
Legend has it that the Singapore Sling was invented in Long Bar in 1915.
Listen SINGAPORE – You know it by its shade: Coral red, the colour of a sunset at its deepest. A “delicious, slow-acting, insidious thing”, as American food writer Charles H. Baker once described it, invented in 1915 as an act of benevolent subterfuge, and shackled to Long Bar’s menu by popular demand ever since.
So goes the story of the Singapore Sling, according to The Raffles Hotel Singapore, where it was reportedly invented: Back in the early 20th century, when colonial etiquette was at its most stringent, it was frowned upon for women to drink alcohol in public.
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