Sit at The Bar at 15 Stamford for any length of time and guests will find themselves regaled by stories told by its passionate bartenders. Their knowledge of the liqueurs and spirits we serve will astound and entertain. But storytelling is in the bar’s heritage. Imagine where today stands a wall of wine in the 15 Stamford restaurant, there once stood a wall of books. For in the 1930s, 15 Stamford was home to “The Green Circle,” a children-friendly library and bookstore that almost rivaled the Capitol Theatre for taking its patrons away from the realities of daily life and transporting them to magical places in the imagination.

Guests today will understand that the hotel is incredibly passionate about rum, given the 160 brands that are available behind the bar. But the connection goes much deeper. Rum has always been associated with sailors, and the hotel’s location has in the past been home to a sailor’s boarding house before the present building was built in 1904. “The Sailors Home” was the onshore home for visiting crew on shore leave when ships docked in Singapore in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Sailors Home was immortalized in three novels by renowned novelist Joseph Conrad: The Shadow Line, The End of the Tether and Lord Jim.

The Bar at 15 Stamford also takes inspiration from the story of Joseph Balestier. While he served as the first US Consul to Singapore, it was not a well-paying position, so Joseph supplemented his income by consulting to traders who were bringing goods into the harbor. He also established a vast 89-hectare sugarcane plantation in a 405-hectare area of land he leased that is now known as the “Balestier Area of Singapore.” Setting up a steam-powered mill and a boiling facility able to make up to 2.7 tons (6,000 pounds) of sugar a day, as well as copper stills and fermenting vats, Balestier also distilled rum from molasses or sugar syrup. An advertisement placed by J Balestier in May 1840 proclaimed rum for sale at his establishment, stating: “Rum distilled after West India process and equal in quality may be had at any time in suitable packages.”

While the Balestier plantation was mostly dedicated to the growing of sugarcane, Joseph also planted pineapples around the boundaries to help retain the soil. Sadly, troubles plagued the plantation, with tigers killing workers in 1842 and crops eventually failing due to flooding from the monsoon rains. This was the final straw for Balestier, who had recently lost his wife, Maria, two short years after the death of their only son. Already in debt and unable to find a buyer for the plantation land (which was eventually reclaimed by the government), Joseph Balestier left Singapore in 1848. He briefly returned to the Far East in 1849 on consular duties, returning to the US in 1851. Six months later he remarried and remained in the US until his death in York, Pennsylvania in 1858 aged 70. The Bar at 15 Stamford created the “Plantation 1840” cocktail in Joseph Balestier’s honor. This classic cocktail is composed of Black Tears Rum, sweet vermouth, pineapple juice, sugarcane juice syrup, lemon juice, and fresh mint. The staff invite guest to try one on their next visit to the bar.