Do you remember what your first adult beverage was? I do. Kind of. Pretty sure it was – after a little experimentation with the most popular wine during my college wine drinking days, aka Annie Green Springs [?!] – a Singapore Sling.
Why, you ask? Not sure except that maybe, perhaps it was popular at the time? OR, maybe/perhaps it sounded cool, like it might even be able to transport me half way around the world to that far off land called Singapore? Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.
Anyway, I do remember that it was pink and served in a tall glass. Most likely with one of those cute little umbrellas on it. And obviously this was at a time in my life that I thought cute little umbrellas added to the allure of the drink as opposed to now when I’ve learned [the hard way] that when there’s a cute topper of any kind on an adult beverage there might possibly, most definitely will be a headache involved after consumption of same. I’m just sayin’.
So, segue from ‘all the way back from my college days’ [ahem, not publishing dates here. . .] to last October when I found myself half way around the world in Singapore. Yep, so you know where this story is going, right? I couldn’t resist, so here’s the full story.
It all started here:
We were walking down a street in Singapore, and when you round a corner and see THAT GUY as the bellman out front, you just KNOW you’ve arrived because now you are at THE Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
Yes, it’s as cool as all those other travel writers have been opining about for years, except that now I’m there. In person. Which makes it even cooler; at least to me.
And given that I know a thing or two about adult beverages now, I know that THIS is the birthplace of the one and only Singapore Sling. So yes, as the saying goes, “when in Singapore. . .”
And as you can imagine, I’m not the only tourist who has made this trek. There are so many, in fact, that well appointed signs are numerous throughout the hotel grounds pointing to ‘the bar’, aka The Long Bar, where the drink was invented and subsequently became famous.
And I’ll spare you the lengthy version of this tale by telling you that it was invented for the purpose of giving the ladies who accompanied the gents into that bar something of their own to drink. Something that was pink and rather frou-frou looking as opposed to hard-liquor looking therefore the ladies were allowed to drink it.
So there you have it. Both the [short version] history and a photo opp of the original, served at its’ origin, the Long Bar located in the world famous [for more reasons than just this namesake drink!] Raffles Hotel, Singapore. I came. I saw. I ordered, and I drank. Check that off my list!
And, true confession here, these days my adult beverage of choice has nothing frou-frou about it. Two ingredients: Jack Daniels and water. Sometimes I go wild and throw a lime slice on top; sometimes it’s just me and Jack.
So even though my tastes have matured, I must say it was great fun to be in Singapore and enjoying ‘a sling’ as they referred to it. After all, wouldn’t you have done the same thing?
Terry's World Travels 
What a fun read, Terry. Thanks for sharing! Your bucket list must be lengthily.
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Thanks for reading, Cara, and yes, this was a fun one!
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Hey there. Sounds like you had a great time in a far away land. Hope to see you some day to talk about your travels.
Love ya.
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It was an incredible business trip, and yes, we’re past due for some adult beverages and conversation! I’m in the middle of major back to back meetings but I won’t forget about you – promise!
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