The Best Singapore Slings in Singapore

One of the more avant-garde cocktail bars in Singapore, Bitters & Love’s form of gimmickry is charming. Inspiration is taken from the surrounding city-state, with drinks served in little plastic takeaway bags typically used for Singaporean coffee, or cocktails that are garnished with whole halves of passion fruit or lychee. The bar's Singapore Sling comes adorned with flowers and pineapple while another drink is served with a skewered marshmallow, which guests are invited to roast themselves. Though there’s no formal menu, the bar has standards that are all elaborately constructed. Let the staff guide you.

Classic and progressive cocktails coexist harmoniously at this friendly spot. Helmed by Aki Eguchi, the bar exudes professionalism—polite bartenders in creased shirtsleeves who take inspiration from the Japanese style of bartending—and consistently delivers the most balanced cocktails in Singapore. Equally suitable for large groups as it is for dates, the warm, wood-paneled room always invites another round of Old-Fashioneds.

Once the headquarters for a Cantonese clan association, Nutmeg & Clove’s tiled Chinatown storefront maintains the original signage. Inside, vintage apothecary décor mingles with a modern bar whose drinks offer a gateway to regional flavors, calling on ingredients like osmanthus flower and hawthorn buds. Kitschy touches (rickshaw cup holders and stenciled citrus garnishes) blend with the Singapore history-themed menu. In keeping with its ode to the island, Nutmeg & Clove executes a delightful riff on the Singapore Sling with hibiscus-infused gin, Cherry Heering, DOM, goji and red date syrup.

Opened in 1887, the magnificent Raffles Hotel is the classic, colonial haunt of Rudyard Kipling and Ernest Hemingway. Its grand watering hole, The Long Bar—the birthplace of the Singapore Sling—is still outfitted with its curved dark wood counter, overhead paddle fans and green library lamps. Originally built from gin, citrus, cherry brandy and soda in 1915, the Singapore Sling went through a dark age when its simple structure was muddled with 7-Up and cloaked in canned juice. Today, it’s experiencing a renaissance and has been restored to its original, dignified formula.