Raffles, Singapore

Made famous throughout modern history, Ngiam Tong Boon invented the Singapore Sling at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The luxury hotel established in the late 1800's hardly seems the place for a bar where peanut shells can be tossed on the floor and paper fans gently turn above diners and imbibers, but the colonial style of the hotel and Long Bar indicate guests are walking into a similar era. The price of a Singapore Sling will set slingers back a bit, but can be considered admittance to a museum of sorts. Or visitors can peruse an actual on site Raffles Hotel Museum after sipping their sling. Patrons will wander through the open air hallways of the hotel and take in some of the history of the place where the Japanese invaded in 1942 while guests were still dancing and writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Michener have stayed. While in Singapore, the elegance and grandeur of one of the world's most notable hotels should not be passed by.