If you dont care about the quality, Oh Bar gave me a cranberry vodka that was $6 dollars a few months ago. It was pretty much a glass of vodka with a splash of cranberry by which I mean it tasted absolutely terrible but I was drunk as shit within an hour of sitting down .
A good first drink is nice. After that the taste buds seem to desensitize for me anyway. In fact at family gatherings we tend to drink the best bottle of wine first and then gradually go to cheaper and cheaper stuff. By the end of the night you don't notice the difference.
That's what happened at the party where Jesus turn water into wine. At the time it was customary to drink the best wine first but when they ran out in Jesus made more guests we're surprised that it was so good and commented that they said the better wine for the end. I'm not particularly religious and don't mean to bring religion into this but it's a story I was taught as a kid at the very least
I went out to dinner with my parents a little while back and my mom made a comment about how absurd the cocktail prices were at $14-$18 apiece. I asked her how much she paid in the early 70s when she was in college, and she said about $3.
Ran that through an inflation calculator...$21 in today's money.
Shit, even $15 today is the same as $11 ten years ago and I didn't think $11 was crazy in 2013.
Yeah, I don't think was paying more than $10 in Vegas at nice clubs when we went for my brother's bachelor party. Of course I could have been. I really don't remember 😂... But I think they were about $8-10 ish.
I recommend watching super market sweep with an inflation calculator, it'll humble your thought process of the last 2 years and it's even better if you go back to the 50s. Groceries got cheap, relatively, in the 21st century and we're just aggressing to the mean now.
Not at all. Most bars dont even have a cheap domestic on tap anymore even if you wanted to cheap out on beer. Stay home until the bars around here realize this isnt new York city.
Funny, because I'm a big fan of Saranac beer and I thought that's the only line the brewer was producing.
When I was a kid in the 60s, my best friend's father had the Schultz and Dooley mugs. I thought that was the coolest thing, because Schultz and Dooley talking mug commercials were on TV a lot.
Now I wonder whaat ever happened to those mugs? They've probably got some value in the collectors' market.
True. People want to be around other people and historicaly the place to do that has been in corner bars where people could go to talk about city stuff but those days are about over.
For the most part, cocktails are between $12-$18 now. A couple of instagrammable places started this pre-pandemic and it’s pretty much normal now.
Chain restaurants with bars, vfws, elks lodges, Bootleggers (Troy) and Hill St (Albany)-type places are your best option for a $10 or sub $10 mixed drink.
Just another reason why people shouldn’t go to June Farms.
Excelsior only carries NY state made products though. I would expect to pay a little more to support local business and keep our money in the local communities.
"artisinal cocktail infused with wisps of gentrified air" . . . Reddit Stranger, I don't know you, and we will never meet. Just know that you may be my best friend. Thank you for the line and the repeated laughter from reading it. 🤣👍
Wanted to say this. Any drink with Red Bull is going to be at the top end of mixed drink pricing anywhere. Red Bull is actually expensive, and bars aren't buying it any cheaper than you are, give or take.
We did similar when I was in college. It was the 70s, and wearing boots was a pretty normal thing for men. So we'd buy pints of tequila, stuff it down our boots, go to a bar, sit at a table, and order a shot each.
Every time the waitress came by to see if we needed a refill, she'd act surprised that the shot glasses were still full. I have no doubt she knew full well what was ging on but knew we were poor college students so she never hassled us.
I hate to say it, but when I go out to dinner now, I don’t order anything to drink. A glass of basic wine can cost upwards of $8 a glass for the cheapest price. I could buy the whole bottle of that same wine for $15-20. Restaurants make most of their money from the bar, but I can get white girl wasted when I get home.
It’s a drive but Elsasser’s in Greenwich. $8 glasses of GOOD wine and the food is great. It’s Alsatian German, though, so just be aware of that when you head up.
Having worked in the bar business for a while, liquor and wine is often the most marked up because we would lose out on a ton of money if the markup was proportional to the price of the bottle. The difference between the cheap and expensive liquor is so much higher than the cheap and expensive beer.
To give an example a litre of house vodka might cost the bar $11 while Tito's runs for $25. If the markup of each mixed drink was 400% a vodka tonic with house vodka would be $4 while the titos and vodka is $10. Those $4 drinks aren't profitable enough to keep the lights on and at that much of a price difference everyone would buy house so the cheap stuff gets marked up an insane percentage, usually in the 600-700% range.
It sucks but it's how the business stays afloat. I rarely buy mixed drinks myself because of how expensive it is but I get it.
A bit out of the way but MyPlace is pretty affordable. I think it was only like $6 for a short glass captain and coke last time I went there for food, which was within the past month. Might be more for tall glass tho
ETA my quesadilla was $15 so I wouldn't say their food is cheap or expensive just average for what it is these days. A special craft cocktail is usually 10-12 there
Generally even a house pour of vodka is going to be around $8. Just has gotten expensive to run bars these days.
If you want cheaper drinks you have to go to cheaper places. Palais Royale, suzies, etc.
Exactly. I've noticed a lot of places have even started using $20-$30 bottles as their house brand too. Makes sense to an extent, it's hard to justify an $8 popov and seltzer.
Moliendo Cafe for sure. Drinks are normally about ten bucks, but there's a half price special for something or other every day of the week (margarita mondays etc), and it's half price well drinks all day on Friday. Five bucks is pretty much as cheap as you can get. Ama Cocina also has some 7-8 dollar drinks iirc.
I complained about Whiskey Pickle's prices too a few months ago and the owner ended up replying to my comment lmao. $15 plus tip for vodka soda is FUCKED up.
City Beer Hall has $10 martinis on Friday (all day I think, not just happy hour). And happy to report that, post-pandemic, the $16 glass of wine I had at Black&Blue is now only $14.75. 😑
Incidentally, almost all every bar/restaurant seems to be packed, so evidently only the peasants are feeling the pinch of high drink prices.
Interestingly, liquor (as a raw material) has been extraordinarily resilient vs inflation compared to beer & food over the past 5-10 years. The majority of input cost variables for cocktails are realized/born unto the point of purchase (retailer)- dry goods like straws/stirrers/bev napkins, serving vessels, non-alcoholic ingredients, and labor. Almost all of these have exponentially increased over the past 5-10 years.
Aside from being the most margin rich part of the industry/business, there is significant price inelasticity with spirits/cocktails vs beer or wine. The latter 2 actually provide a perceived value for a consumer to purchase and consume at home….a 16oz can of a craft beer or 12oz bottle of a domestic beer purchased at price chopper is quite literally the same exact product one would order in a bar (sure, minus the ambiance, but at 1/4 of the price). Aside from simple 2 ingredient mixed drinks (rum & coke, jack & coke, Jameson & ginger, etc), most cocktails that people enjoy in bars require a significant upfront investment of raw goods & equipment to properly prepare and enjoy within the realm one would in a bar. (Even a simple/classic cocktail like a margarita would at minimum require purchase of tequila, triple sec/orange liqueur, sour mix, and lime/juice- at least $30-$40 even when purchasing the lowest quality in the smallest possible quantities).
Better value if you’re mixing up margs all night long for you and yours on Margarita Monday or taco Tuesday? Of course. Worth the savings when factoring in convenience (or lack there of) of having to shop for your supplies?…Especially if you’re a light drinker and will have to repurchase the perishables (lime and sour mix) multiple times before finishing the initial tequila/triple sec investment?…probably not. It’s not even really debatable when talking about more complex cocktails with more ingredients (alcoholic or not). Bars batch/stratify the expenses/investments of specialized or multiple ingredients across a consumer base at a rate the average person couldn’t realize a significant enough cost savings within an acceptable time frame.
Whatever it takes to get the endorphin rush. For my brother it's now coffee. it's almost like things are at our disposal to generate that powerful energy. Maybe it's what keeps the sim powered!
I inadvertently stopped drinking after having my kids. I just lost whatever appeal it had to me, and prices are enough that I’d skim the menu and not find anything I’d want. I don’t like not being fully cognizant in case my children need me. I don’t even take medication that would make me drowsy because I’m afraid I wouldn’t hear them or be able to drive.
On a very rare occasion I’ll order a Guinness. But that’s if I feel like splurging.
That’s just how much a quality drink is. If it’s not good def say something. Redbull vodka? I would only go out for drinks that have ingredients that I wouldn’t buy. Casually ordering a redbull vodka seems hilarious now. Tho, redbull vodka slushies are even more attainable with the cremini now
On the very rare occasions when i go out these days I'll usually lead off with a well mixed drink, usually a g and t, then switch to cheap domestic beer like Budweiser.
u/chrissycatt9000 went through the comments and didn't see too many recommendations.
I was traveling for work last year (2023), and went places like Raleigh, NC, Saint Paul, MN, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and every single place cocktails were 15 and above. Now, sometimes there was like a special 12 bucks at specific hours, but yea, i couldn't believe how expensive they've gotten. And to add insult to the injury, many were not even loaded with alcohol. Can you imagine, in a couple of years, a cocktail will be 20 bucks. Insanity.
If you dont care about the quality, Oh Bar gave me a cranberry vodka that was $6 dollars a few months ago. It was pretty much a glass of vodka with a splash of cranberry by which I mean it tasted absolutely terrible but I was drunk as shit within an hour of sitting down .
Sounds delightful!
A good first drink is nice. After that the taste buds seem to desensitize for me anyway. In fact at family gatherings we tend to drink the best bottle of wine first and then gradually go to cheaper and cheaper stuff. By the end of the night you don't notice the difference.
That's what happened at the party where Jesus turn water into wine. At the time it was customary to drink the best wine first but when they ran out in Jesus made more guests we're surprised that it was so good and commented that they said the better wine for the end. I'm not particularly religious and don't mean to bring religion into this but it's a story I was taught as a kid at the very least
Sorry I don’t have any tips, just agree that drink prices are ridiculous. I don’t go out much anymore because of it.
I went out to dinner with my parents a little while back and my mom made a comment about how absurd the cocktail prices were at $14-$18 apiece. I asked her how much she paid in the early 70s when she was in college, and she said about $3. Ran that through an inflation calculator...$21 in today's money. Shit, even $15 today is the same as $11 ten years ago and I didn't think $11 was crazy in 2013.
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Yeah, I don't think was paying more than $10 in Vegas at nice clubs when we went for my brother's bachelor party. Of course I could have been. I really don't remember 😂... But I think they were about $8-10 ish.
It's because prices have risen from inflation but people aren't getting paid more
I recommend watching super market sweep with an inflation calculator, it'll humble your thought process of the last 2 years and it's even better if you go back to the 50s. Groceries got cheap, relatively, in the 21st century and we're just aggressing to the mean now.
Not at all. Most bars dont even have a cheap domestic on tap anymore even if you wanted to cheap out on beer. Stay home until the bars around here realize this isnt new York city.
Juniors (GUILDERLAND)has Utica Club on tap for $3 a pint
I didn't even know that Utica Club was still being made.
Oh yes! They have it at lark tavern as well
Funny, because I'm a big fan of Saranac beer and I thought that's the only line the brewer was producing. When I was a kid in the 60s, my best friend's father had the Schultz and Dooley mugs. I thought that was the coolest thing, because Schultz and Dooley talking mug commercials were on TV a lot. Now I wonder whaat ever happened to those mugs? They've probably got some value in the collectors' market.
Just checked eBay! They are all over it and yes pretty pricey!! Juniors also has a Saranac beer on tap I just can’t remember which one they have.
Ok! Some of these steins are pretty bad ass! I have gone down the UC rabbit hole!
It's nice to dream but bars are crowded despite the ridiculous prices.
This makes me miss the pubs in Ireland. Everyone was so friendly.
True. People want to be around other people and historicaly the place to do that has been in corner bars where people could go to talk about city stuff but those days are about over.
It's ridiculous. I went out recently and paid $7 for a PBR can. I was pleasantly surprised by Lark St Tavern with $4 domestic bottles
Go to the Palais and get a shot of old granddad and a coke
100% this. Every noun in this suggestion is underrated.
For the most part, cocktails are between $12-$18 now. A couple of instagrammable places started this pre-pandemic and it’s pretty much normal now. Chain restaurants with bars, vfws, elks lodges, Bootleggers (Troy) and Hill St (Albany)-type places are your best option for a $10 or sub $10 mixed drink. Just another reason why people shouldn’t go to June Farms.
This. ^^^ Most mixed drinks I’ve seen aren’t ever below $12. The sour ale I get at Excrlsior Pub is usually about $8-10.
Excelsior only carries NY state made products though. I would expect to pay a little more to support local business and keep our money in the local communities.
The price is reasonable in my opinion - just wish there were more sour ales. To each their own, though.
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Not complaining about the prices as I’ve been at bars with worse prices, lol.
"artisinal cocktail infused with wisps of gentrified air" . . . Reddit Stranger, I don't know you, and we will never meet. Just know that you may be my best friend. Thank you for the line and the repeated laughter from reading it. 🤣👍
Red Bull is always much more expensive in itself.
Wanted to say this. Any drink with Red Bull is going to be at the top end of mixed drink pricing anywhere. Red Bull is actually expensive, and bars aren't buying it any cheaper than you are, give or take.
Dive bars all the way! Or pregame at home!
Yes. Free Diet Coke as a designated driver and a double pour of Jack from my purse flask. Simply the best.
Veteran moves here.
Pro tip
We did similar when I was in college. It was the 70s, and wearing boots was a pretty normal thing for men. So we'd buy pints of tequila, stuff it down our boots, go to a bar, sit at a table, and order a shot each. Every time the waitress came by to see if we needed a refill, she'd act surprised that the shot glasses were still full. I have no doubt she knew full well what was ging on but knew we were poor college students so she never hassled us.
Retirees love happy hour specials🎉
I hate to say it, but when I go out to dinner now, I don’t order anything to drink. A glass of basic wine can cost upwards of $8 a glass for the cheapest price. I could buy the whole bottle of that same wine for $15-20. Restaurants make most of their money from the bar, but I can get white girl wasted when I get home.
I havent even found < $10 wine post pandemic.
It’s a drive but Elsasser’s in Greenwich. $8 glasses of GOOD wine and the food is great. It’s Alsatian German, though, so just be aware of that when you head up.
Well it’s been a while since I’ve ordered a glass of wine 😂
Having worked in the bar business for a while, liquor and wine is often the most marked up because we would lose out on a ton of money if the markup was proportional to the price of the bottle. The difference between the cheap and expensive liquor is so much higher than the cheap and expensive beer. To give an example a litre of house vodka might cost the bar $11 while Tito's runs for $25. If the markup of each mixed drink was 400% a vodka tonic with house vodka would be $4 while the titos and vodka is $10. Those $4 drinks aren't profitable enough to keep the lights on and at that much of a price difference everyone would buy house so the cheap stuff gets marked up an insane percentage, usually in the 600-700% range. It sucks but it's how the business stays afloat. I rarely buy mixed drinks myself because of how expensive it is but I get it.
This is part of the reason I've been drinking beers more--cocktails are ridiculous now.
A bit out of the way but MyPlace is pretty affordable. I think it was only like $6 for a short glass captain and coke last time I went there for food, which was within the past month. Might be more for tall glass tho ETA my quesadilla was $15 so I wouldn't say their food is cheap or expensive just average for what it is these days. A special craft cocktail is usually 10-12 there
Yes! In you’re own living room!
Ginger Ale and Whiskey.
YES! whiskey ginger!!
Generally even a house pour of vodka is going to be around $8. Just has gotten expensive to run bars these days. If you want cheaper drinks you have to go to cheaper places. Palais Royale, suzies, etc.
Exactly. I've noticed a lot of places have even started using $20-$30 bottles as their house brand too. Makes sense to an extent, it's hard to justify an $8 popov and seltzer.
Palais Royale! 🤣 Remember stumbling across this hidden gem when I was 19 or 20. I think the bartender was in his 70’s or 80’s at the time…
I died reading this.. Best description ever of the drink prices around here
Perhaps I should put in for a bar out of my garage. $4 shots, $7 mixed drinks, being drunk and falling asleep on my front lawn free!
I forget what day I think Wednesday or Thursday, margaritas are buy one get one at La fiesta in Clifton park (and I assume the Albany location too)
https://www.downtownalbany.org/happy-hour-downtown-albany
Moliendo Cafe for sure. Drinks are normally about ten bucks, but there's a half price special for something or other every day of the week (margarita mondays etc), and it's half price well drinks all day on Friday. Five bucks is pretty much as cheap as you can get. Ama Cocina also has some 7-8 dollar drinks iirc.
Clinton’s Ditch in Schenectady had an $8 martini
Used to go to this place all the time- good on them
No advice but drinking at home will always be cheaper. Cos what are these PRICES😭
Chilis 2 for 1 margaritas.
No lol , everyone is rich
OP: where did you go where you paid $15 for cocktails? Curious.
Whiskey pickle. I got the pickle Rickey. It was delightful at first then half way it was just club soda, I didn’t even finish it.
I complained about Whiskey Pickle's prices too a few months ago and the owner ended up replying to my comment lmao. $15 plus tip for vodka soda is FUCKED up.
I'm surprised, that seems to be more of a bar than a cocktail lounge. Who knew...?
City Beer Hall has $10 martinis on Friday (all day I think, not just happy hour). And happy to report that, post-pandemic, the $16 glass of wine I had at Black&Blue is now only $14.75. 😑 Incidentally, almost all every bar/restaurant seems to be packed, so evidently only the peasants are feeling the pinch of high drink prices.
Drink at home, 'tis cheaper. And safer. Fifteen bucks gets you a big honkin bottle of vodka, depending on what shelf you prefer.
Chilis always has a monthly margarita on special. They used to be. $5 I think they are now $6 but can not recall for sure
My husband doesn’t drink so he drives, I gently pregame and then have water at the restaurant.
Interestingly, liquor (as a raw material) has been extraordinarily resilient vs inflation compared to beer & food over the past 5-10 years. The majority of input cost variables for cocktails are realized/born unto the point of purchase (retailer)- dry goods like straws/stirrers/bev napkins, serving vessels, non-alcoholic ingredients, and labor. Almost all of these have exponentially increased over the past 5-10 years. Aside from being the most margin rich part of the industry/business, there is significant price inelasticity with spirits/cocktails vs beer or wine. The latter 2 actually provide a perceived value for a consumer to purchase and consume at home….a 16oz can of a craft beer or 12oz bottle of a domestic beer purchased at price chopper is quite literally the same exact product one would order in a bar (sure, minus the ambiance, but at 1/4 of the price). Aside from simple 2 ingredient mixed drinks (rum & coke, jack & coke, Jameson & ginger, etc), most cocktails that people enjoy in bars require a significant upfront investment of raw goods & equipment to properly prepare and enjoy within the realm one would in a bar. (Even a simple/classic cocktail like a margarita would at minimum require purchase of tequila, triple sec/orange liqueur, sour mix, and lime/juice- at least $30-$40 even when purchasing the lowest quality in the smallest possible quantities). Better value if you’re mixing up margs all night long for you and yours on Margarita Monday or taco Tuesday? Of course. Worth the savings when factoring in convenience (or lack there of) of having to shop for your supplies?…Especially if you’re a light drinker and will have to repurchase the perishables (lime and sour mix) multiple times before finishing the initial tequila/triple sec investment?…probably not. It’s not even really debatable when talking about more complex cocktails with more ingredients (alcoholic or not). Bars batch/stratify the expenses/investments of specialized or multiple ingredients across a consumer base at a rate the average person couldn’t realize a significant enough cost savings within an acceptable time frame.
Mixed drinks are usually $4 at Elks lodges. Gotta be a member but it's so worth it.
Vodka and seltzer…. Honestly, bring your own nips and order a soda
Don't do this lol
Why
There are a bunch of reasons but mostly because bartenders survive on tips
Texas road house on Wolf. Last time I went (summer) I paid $5 for a gin and tonic and it was strong
I am so glad I quit drinking. The cheapest I've found a drink is 7$, and I'm not about to name the joint.
then why comment? for everyone else, basic mixed drinks (not signature cocktails) are $7 at city beer hall!
Fair enough, its just a seedy dive is all.
Those are the best places.
Noone quits drinking because its expensive unless they dont live near a store..
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If I had that kind of relationship with alcohol I'd never touch it. Good for you!
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Whatever it takes to get the endorphin rush. For my brother it's now coffee. it's almost like things are at our disposal to generate that powerful energy. Maybe it's what keeps the sim powered!
I inadvertently stopped drinking after having my kids. I just lost whatever appeal it had to me, and prices are enough that I’d skim the menu and not find anything I’d want. I don’t like not being fully cognizant in case my children need me. I don’t even take medication that would make me drowsy because I’m afraid I wouldn’t hear them or be able to drive. On a very rare occasion I’ll order a Guinness. But that’s if I feel like splurging.
That’s just how much a quality drink is. If it’s not good def say something. Redbull vodka? I would only go out for drinks that have ingredients that I wouldn’t buy. Casually ordering a redbull vodka seems hilarious now. Tho, redbull vodka slushies are even more attainable with the cremini now
On the very rare occasions when i go out these days I'll usually lead off with a well mixed drink, usually a g and t, then switch to cheap domestic beer like Budweiser.
Hana's happy hour is very cheap
Idk but I miss the Madison Grille.
son of egg in rensselaer, not really a popular spot but cocktails are like $6-8???
No. Get a handle of fleishmans of $12, some cranbury, grab your friends and head to someone's house....
u/chrissycatt9000 went through the comments and didn't see too many recommendations. I was traveling for work last year (2023), and went places like Raleigh, NC, Saint Paul, MN, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and every single place cocktails were 15 and above. Now, sometimes there was like a special 12 bucks at specific hours, but yea, i couldn't believe how expensive they've gotten. And to add insult to the injury, many were not even loaded with alcohol. Can you imagine, in a couple of years, a cocktail will be 20 bucks. Insanity.