As we stepped into the bar, the crunch of peanut shells under our feet, a loud mechanic whizzing noise going off and a slight breeze coming from a rather impressive ceiling fan set up, we could only be in one place. Raffles Long Bar Singapore. It’s a must do when in Singapore, and it’s one of my mums favourite cocktails. I always remember when they visited and came back telling me all about it. Now, it’s not a cheap experience so brace yourself to pay the best part of £22 for one classic Singapore Sling. You get free peanuts as a bonus (not good for the nut hater in me though). There can be queues for this hotspot so leave plenty of time for that. We walked straight in but when we left around 50 people were waiting to sample the delights inside. We didn’t feel rushed at any point though which is necessary when you spend that much on a drink!
Anyways this trip got me thinking about the best cocktails I’ve had on my various trips from the priciest to the strongest so here they are:
The Strongest!
Sitting on a pebbled beach watching the sun go down beyond the horizon and sipping on a rather strong cocktail was very blissful. The beach bar in question is located opposite the road from the Insula Alba Hotel, and at the time we visited it was around €7 for one cocktail.
I’d never had a Beverley Hills Iced Tea before and I haven’t had one since which is a shame. A long drink with no mixer it’s a strong combo to contend with though. It tastes really good though and if sipped slowly it was the perfect drink as it was like having a few cocktails for the price of one. Much more bargainous than the Singapore Sling.
The Cheapest but Best
This cocktail was a surprise to me. On our last day in Wrocław, Poland we went to a restaurant on the square to have some last pierogi before flying home. As I wasn’t going to be driving the other side I opted for a rather cheap (about £4) Mojito. Not my cocktail of choice usually but boy, it was amazing! The brown sugar gave the drink a sweet taste but made it so moreish. This is the one that lives in my head rent free and that I keep trying to recreate but failing. It’s an excuse to go back and hope isn’t it?
The One with the Landmark View
Barcelona has my heart, so of course there’s a few from Barca in this list. First up is this stunning view from the Ayre Hotel Rosellon. We first visited pre-Pandemic and i had a mojito whilst admiring the blue skied views of the Sagrada Familia. We then revisited in 2022 , where pre booking is now a necessity.
Cocktails wise it was average, the gin and tonic I had the second visit was better, but I had to include this landmark bar in the round up.
The Re-Visted One
I was thinking that this could be the oldest bar, until I realised Raffles Long Bar was most likely older! So I’ve gone for most revisited. Every time I’ve been I’ve had different cocktails. From 2016 and its very Instagram Bordered mojito to whatever I chose in 2022 that came in a tiki jar. Dry Martini isn’t cheap but the old style vibes are immaculate.
The Self Made One
When we were greeted by the self serve bar at the Landmar Playa La Arena * (ad.press trip) and I saw a Martini Fiero there I knew it was Spritz o Clock. Fiero is like an inbetween of Campari and Aperol. So I added some Cava and some sparkling water and we were good to go!
I feel like there needs to be more added to this list so if you have a fave cocktail from a certain place let me know!