The evening of 28th Jan, saw Singapore Tourism celebrating 100 years of their famous cocktail Singapore Sling. To felicitate the event, mixologist Rizwan, came all the way from Long Bar, at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore, where the cocktail was born.
The Singapore Sling was created in 1915 at Raffles Singapore by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon.
Following the turn of the century in colonial Singapore, Raffles Singapore was the gathering place for the community and 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. The talented Ngiam thus saw a niche in the market and decided to create a cocktail that looked like a fruit juice. Making it in pink gave it a feminine flair and together with the use of clear alcohol, he clearly led people into thinking it was a socially acceptable punch for the ladies.
With that Singapore Sling was born… and rest as they say is history…!!
The celebration party saw coming together of some travel agents and food bloggers, along with Singapore Tourism officials and our man for the evening Rizwan. It was planned at Shangri-La hotel, New Delhi, one of the best hotels of the capital.
The event began, with Rizwan sharing his recipe for Singapore Sling and also giving people a chance to create their own drink.
One sip into the drink, and I knew it was worth celebrating every year of its creation.
A huge cake was also cut, which had a specific number on it; this number represented the number of Indian’s that traveled to Singapore last year.
There were lots of fun activities and contests also planned for the audience. There were two thematic photo backdrops, and instant prints were given to people in branded photo jackets.
There was an electrifying band playing mix of new and classic English songs.
Lip Smacking snacks were served and an elaborate dinner menu was laid out for the audience to relish. The menu focused on both Singaporean and Indian Cuisines keeping in mind the likes of Indian audience.
I then got a chance to chat up with the hero of the evening Rizwan, in a little privacy and away from the noise of the event. I was amazed to know that he started this mixology thing very early in the age and now has been with Raffles for 7 years. The Long Bar at Raffles caters upto a 1000 people on a weekend, and Rizwan enjoys bartending to them.
He is blessed with 3 adorable and kids and loves spending time with his family.
It was a pleasure meeting and chatting with such a down to earth and loving person. To cherish the memories for long, I got myself clicked with him, and also made him pose with the signature Singapore Sling.
It was a great experience to be a part of such a prestigious event, and I look forward to the 4 city roadshows that Singapore Tourism will organising in India this year.
Till then cheers to the Singapore Sling…!!