Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Raffles Hotel

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Sun 6 Nov 2016 23:27

Raffles Hotel

We left the Hop On Hop Off bus and there we were – opposite Raffles Hotel. WOW. Raffles Hotel is a colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (6th of July 1781 – 5th of July 1826), the founder of Singapore.

We crossed the road and found an information sign about the famous palms.

The gorgeously dressed ‘welcome man’ pointed past the courtyard, beyond the far terrace..........

to the lower bar. We asked there where the traditional place was to have the famous cocktail, “Upstairs in the Long Bar”. On we went.

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Past the information boards.

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Passing the posh shops.

From the Raffles website: Raffles Hotel Singapore is the flagship property of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. Opened in 1887, it is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world. No visit to Singapore is complete without a stay at Raffles; tradition demands it.
A century after its opening, the hotel was declared a National Monument by the Singapore Government and today, its colonial architecture is beautifully preserved, allowing it to stand out from the contemporary style of its surrounding neighbours in the business and civic district.
Over the years, some of the most famous personalities have walked through the ornate wrought-iron portico. Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling and Michael Jackson are among those who have succumbed to the charms of the Raffles. Today, nothing much has changed with esteemed guests such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George Bush, Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Louboutin still choosing to put up at the hotel.
Enter the main building of the hotel and the magnificence of the lobby, seemingly unaltered from the turn of the century, takes the breath away. White marble colonnades, also found throughout out the hotel, encircle an atrium that soars three floors up. In the day, sunlight pours through illuminating polished teak verandas that lead to 103 suites, 14 restaurants and bars, event spaces and a shopping arcade.

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Up the stairs passing more information boards and there we were......

The Long Bar: Home of the Singapore Sling, this two-storey bar located on the second floor of Raffles Singapore is the place where travellers undergo one of the truest rites of passage of travel. While there, sip on the world-famous pink cocktail, created in 1915 by bar captain Ngiam Tong Boon, and toss peanut shells onto the floor - the only place in Singapore where “littering” is permitted. The menu offers a mélange of cocktails and non-alcoholic concoctions, together with traditional pub favourites.
The earthy interiors are inspired by Malayan plantation life in the 1920’s. 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 Long Bar with the seating above interspersed with teak lounge chairs.

The two-storey bar located on the second floor of Raffles Singapore is the place where we joined ‘the club’.

...............the peanuts still served in a traditional sack.

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The earthy interiors are inspired by Malayan plantation life in the 1920’s. 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 Long Bar with the seating above interspersed with teak lounge chairs. A lovely man in a smart suit settled us in a corner booth.

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The Singapore Sling, widely regarded as the national drink of the country, was first created in 1915 at Raffles Singapore by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. Primarily a gin-based cocktail, the Singapore Sling also contains pineapple juice as the main ingredient, along with grenadine, lime juice and Dom Benedictine. Giving it the pretty pink hue are cherry brandy and Cointreau. Bartender Ngiam deliberately chose to give the cocktail this rosy colour.
Following the turn of the century in colonial Singapore, Raffles Singapore was the gathering place for the community and Long Bar was the watering hole. It was common to see the gentlemen nursing glasses of gin or whisky. Unfortunately for the ladies, etiquette dictated they could not consume alcohol in public, and for the sake of public modesty, fruit juices and teas were their preferred beverage.
The talented Ngiam thus saw a niche in the market and decided to create a cocktail that looked like a fruit juice, but was actually infused with gin and other liqueurs. Masking it in pink gave it a feminine flair and together with the use of clear alcohol, he cleverly led people into thinking it was a socially acceptable punch for the ladies. With that, the Singapore Sling was born. Needless to say, it became an instant hit.

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