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The Singapore Sling
Long Bar at Raffles Singapore
Home of the Singapore Sling drink, the two-story Long Bar on the
second floor of Raffles Singapore is the place where travelers undergo
one of the truest rites of passage of travel — sipping on that very
world-famous cocktail, created in 1915 by bar captain Ngiam Tong
Boon. Incorporating gin, cherry brandy, lemon juice, soda water, and
ice, the Singapore Sling is widely regarded as the national drink of
the island and is enjoyed all around the globe. The bar menu offers a
mélange of cocktails and non-alcoholic concoctions, together with
traditional pub favorites. There you also can toss peanut shells onto
the floor — the only place in Singapore where “littering” is
permitted. The Long Bar’s interiors are inspired by Malayan
plantation life of the 1920s. Oriental carpets are overlain on tiled
floors and the furniture is traditional stained cane and rattan. A
charming timber spiral staircase connects the two levels of the bar
with the seating above interspersed with teak lounge chairs.
The Bloody Mary
King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York
In 1934, Fernand Petiot, the bartender at The St. Regis New
York’s King Cole Bar, perfected the recipe for a vodka-and-
tomato juice cocktail he dubbed the Bloody Mary. Deemed too
racy a name for the hotel’s clientele, it was rechristened as the
Red Snapper. While the latter moniker may not have stood the
test of time, Fernand’s spicy concoction certainly has. Today,
the Bloody Mary remains the signature cocktail of the St. Regis
brand, with each hotel crafting its own interpretation of the
libation. The King Cole Bar is also home to the infamous and
beloved “Old King Cole” mural. For over a century, the St.
Regis New York has stood as an emblem of style and
sophistication in the heart of Manhattan and the hotel’s
famous King Cole Bar remains one of the city’s most stately
cocktail lounges, nightly drawing in the city’s elite. In October
2014, the beloved libation celebrated its 80th anniversary in
grand style at The St. Regis New York and around the world.
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THE AFFLUENT TRAVELER
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Mixology Report
