They say money can’t buy happiness — but it can buy you a great cocktail for nearly $30.
At the luxurious Raffles Hotel in Singapore, there is a famous drink called the Singapore Sling that sells for $SGD39 a pop — approximately $29 in USD.
Now, it’s been revealed just how much they make per day on that one delicious cocktail.
According to News.com.au, the hotel sells about 1000 of the signature drinks per day during peak vacation times, coming to a daily grand total of $29,000.
However, the outlet noted that price doesn’t include service fees and taxes — bringing it to an estimated $SGD46, about $34 USD.
The drink was created at the hotel’s famous Long Bar in 1915 by a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon, and it is largely thought of as the country’s national drink, per the hotel’s website.
The Singapore Sling is a famous cocktail sold at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. TikTok
It was created in 1915, and is served at the hotel’s Long Bar. TikTok
The drink goes for a whopping $29 USD. TikTokThe cocktail, which is served up in a tall glass and garnished with a pineapple slice, contains gin, pineapple juice, lime juice, curaçao and Bénédictine.
It also gets some grenadine and cherry liqueur added into the mix, which gives the drink a light pink hue, a color that the bartender designed on purpose.
The famous drink is sold at the Raffles Hotel (shown here). Raffles Hotel According to Raffles’ website, etiquette rules at the time mandated that it was unacceptable for women to drink alcohol in public.
Instead, they would often drink tea or fruit juice.
However, bartender Ngiam saw an opening in the market for a cocktail that could be disguised for women to drink in public as a beverage that others would think was socially acceptable.
And so, the Singapore Sling was born — a drink that looked like plain fruit juice, but actually contained alcohol.
The bartender who created the drink made it a pink color on purpose. TikTok
It’s estimated that the hotel serves about 1000 of these drinks per day during peak holiday times. TikTokEven after all these years, the iconic drink is widely well-known, and is even the subject of many recipe recreations online.
In May, one TikToker took to the platform to review the drink, answering the burning question on everyone’s minds — whether or not the expensive cocktail is really worth it.
“The drink itself is not worth the $39,” user @swizzyinsg shared. “But the whole experience with the historic background is.”
Many famous people have stayed at this luxurious hotel. Raffles Hotel
Another tradition at the bar includes throwing peanut shells onto the ground. TikTok
Peanuts are served at the table. TikTokAnother TikToker, Oli Brandon, admitted that the experience is a “once in a lifetime things” if you find yourself visiting Singapore.
The bar also has another unique tradition behind it — guests are served peanuts and are encouraged to throw the shells all over the floor.
There are strict rules around littering in Singapore, including a $1,000 fine, per Business Insider, but the hotel’s website notes that it’s the only place where littering is “encouraged.”
The hotel was even home to Queen Elizabeth II once, per News.com.au.
She stayed there for the first time in 2006.
Celebrities like Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor and John Wayne have also stayed at the property.
