LONG BAR, Singapore

Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Rd, Singapore

The view: Is of your fellow guests as they shell dozens of peanuts on to the floor and sip Singapore Slings. The infamous plantationstyle bar is all about what’s happening inside the room, no exterior views required.

The vibe: Is particularly flat. Inside Raffles Hotel, Long Bar is famed as the birthplace of the classic Singapore Sling cocktail, and tourists — particularly elderly European tourists — queue throughout the evening to experience the world-famous drink for themselves. The result is a lot of bored couples starring silently at one another as they eat their way through the kilo bag of peanuts placed on every table.

The chat: Was friendly and swift. We were presented with menus, which we waved away and just ordered three slings and some sparkling water, as we set about eating our body weight in peanuts. The menu: Must exist and must feature other drinks — but not a single person in the room was drinking anything other than a Singapore Sling. They even have a giant hand-cranked Victorian contraption that shakes multiple batches at once to keep up with demand. The whole room shakes as it rattles away, which again, is all part of the experience.

The expectation: We knew it was a tourist trap and that Raffles Hotel is famously one of the most expensive hotels in the world. Still, we were a little blindsided when our three cocktails came to a total of more than $130. Thank God we didn’t get another round.

The reality: Recently restored, the bar is beautiful and you really do feel like you’re stepping back in time. But the proliferation of bored tourists means it really lacks soul or atmosphere, which is a shame. The signature drink is exceptionally well made but was still too sweet for my personal taste. Go if you must, but be prepared to wait — and to pay a premium for the privilege.