As this was such a short notice visit, the plans of course revolved around the existing schedule for her and my niece, which included my niece’s Saturday afternoon art class downtown near the Singapore Art Museum.  What were we going to do for the 90 minutes while she was in her class? As the museum is located right by the Bras Basah MRT station, it didn’t take long to come to a good solution…my sister had lived in Singapore for two years, and had yet to try an original Singapore Sling from the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, where it was invented in 1915, only three blocks away!

A few short minutes later, my sister, my niece’s nanny and I had arrived at this grand colonial-style hotel and made our way up to the second floor entry for the Long Bar, and were faced with quite a crowd!  Seems Saturday afternoon may not be the best time to try to make a quick visit to the Long Bar, especially as the second floor bar was not open this day.  We could have sat at the bar or outside on the veranda, but it was only a short wait for a table, so we opted for that, and less than 10 minutes later, we had our seats.

The original plan was for a trio of original Singapore Sling cocktails, however, on taking a quick peek at the menu, we were greeted with a surprising assortment of new sling cocktails on the menu!  In addition to the classic original, the following six items now appear on the menu, all at S$26 each, the same price as an Original Singapore Sling:

• Spring Sling – Apple Vodka, Apple Sourz, DOM, Cointreau, Blue Curacao, Pineapple & Orange Juice
• Summer Sling – Bacardi Limon, Lychee Liqueurs, DOM, Cointreau, Mango, Lychee & Orange Juice
• Autumn Sling – Vodka, Creme de Casis, Apple & Pineapple Juice, Monin Casis, Lemon Wedges, Blackberries
• Winter Sling – Vanilla Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Cointreau, DOM, Pineapple Juice, Pineapple Puree
• Tropical Sling – Bacardi, Cherry Heering, Passion Fruit Puree, Lime Juice, Cointreau, DOM, Grenadine Syrup, Champagne
• Courtyard Sling – Gin, DOM, Lychee Liqueurs, Mango Juice, Grenadine Syrup, Ginger Beer

Of course, needing to experiment, we had to go for three of the new cocktails (and one original to split…for tradition’s sake, and so my sister could finally say she’s had one here).  Our orders placed, a few minutes of munching on the great Thai peanuts (and making quite a mess with the pile of shells we left on the floor), and we soon had our drinks before us.

First thing to note, only the Original Singapore Sling comes in the Original Singapore Sling glass.  All others come in an unlabeled glass.  Also to note, nowhere on the menu did I see the option of ordering the Singapore Sling with the ability to keep the collector’s glass as was available in the past, but perhaps this is meant to have you visit the gift shop on the first floor where you can buy the glass and other Raffles Hotel souvenirs.

Of the non-standard slings, the Tropical Sling came out first, much faster than the others.  Not sure if this meant this was pre-made like the Original, or just easier to make.  This drink was quite tasty, but did not quite have that signature Sling taste.  Though it was quite nice, with the passion-fruit and champagne.

The Courtyard Sling was very tasty, though perhaps a bit strong.  Again, not a very traditional taste in line with the original sling, but one I would order again.

The Summer Sling tasted quite similar to the original Singapore Sling, and seemed to also be the most popular option, aside from the original, that I saw people ordering as well.  This one also took the longest to receive, not sure if it was a lost order due to it being so crowded, or just took a while to make.  Very pleasing flavors, and very easy to drink.  Perhaps dangerously so!

Overall, I have to say, the new Slings are rather enjoyable.  I did not see the Tiger Lily on the menu any longer, so I’m not sure if it is still an option, or if it has been totally replaced by these new offerings.  If that is the case, however, I’m happy with the new flavors on the menu.

Brett and I had the opportunity to visit the M Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong last weekend.  We booked a dinner reservation at their one Michelin-starred Mandarin Grill (the restaurant legendary chef Thomas Keller recently visited) and wanted to experience the views from their signature M Bar located on the 25th floor.  We met up with Geoff Wu, the Social Media and E-Commerce Manager for the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and took a tour of the food and beverage outlets onsite.

When making reservations for our dinner, we opted for a later dining time so we could enjoy drinks at the M Bar ahead of time.  The M Bar is dark and swanky, offering a great view of the harbour and skyline.  The M Bar features a comprehensive menu of signature cocktails, beer, wine, and Cantonese tapas.

We started with two signature cocktails — Hong Kong Legend and the Earl Grey Mar-tea-ni.  The Hong Kong Legend featured some interesting ingredients — don’t be fooled by the martini glass — this is no “girly” drink.  It features vodka, Kuei Hua Chen Chiew, lychee liquor, lychee, lime, and the base of the glass features whiskey gum!  Initially, we thought they were part of the glass design, until the bartender said they were edible.  The Hong Kong Legend is an understated drink in that the alcohol and fruit flavors ring through without being overly sweet.  You are supposed to chew on the gum while sipping the drink, which was also a nice addition.

The second drink was the Earl Grey Mar-tea-ni.  This one was definitely intriguing and I am glad it was recommended to us.  As you can probably gather by the name, it contains tea.  It starts with a homemade Earl Grey infused gin, which is mixed with orange juice and served in a martini glass with a sugar rim.  This was probably my favorite  — surprising given that I am not a gin fan — but the tea flavor, orange, and sugar all worked quite well together.

We still had a little time prior to our dinner reservation so Geoff suggested two other signature cocktails.  These two were on the sweeter side, but absolutely home runs.  The first was the Foam Cosmopolitan, which is a standard cosmopolitan served with a cranberry foam they add tableside.

The last drink was the Mandarin Spring Punch, featuring vodka, apricot, cassis, mandarin, raspberry, lemon, and topped with a splash of champagne.  The glass is then topped with a few sugar coated fruits — what a great combo!

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong features a nice array of signature drinks, champagne cocktails, beer, wine, liquors, and even a few mocktails.  There are still a number of drinks on the menu I am hoping to try on future visits  — the one that sticks out most is the Crumble (brown butter rum, falernum, and pear cider).

If you’re visiting central Hong Kong and looking for a bar with some unique cocktails and a spectacular view, we definitely recommend swinging by the M Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong!  Let us know which cocktail ends up being your favorite!

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Address: 5 Connaught Road, Central Hong Kong (M Bar is 25th floor)
Phone: +852 2522 0111
Website: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/