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...!!
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