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Original poster

Anyone else fed up with rising alcohol prices?

112 replies

Lucytheluckyone · 24/05/2025 21:05

So for those who drink alcohol, anyone shocked by how expensive drinks are when out these days? I was out for a nice dinner with my husband last night - the place we were in was a ‘higher end place’ but the general bars (I’m in Edinburgh) are much the same. The cheapest glass of wine was £11.95 (175mls) and cocktails started at £14.00! We opted for a bottle of wine because on working it out had we gone with glasses it may have been £50 alone without even eating! In Edinburgh a cocktail has gone from £7(ish) 2 years ago to over £10! Anyone have this where they live?

OP posts:
PaulKnickerless · 25/05/2025 17:28

Have you ever made your own wine or beer? It's quite a lot of effort to make something that tastes good, but it is increasingly worth the trouble!

The sad thing about all of this, is that the high costs make socialising more difficult. Of course you have have friends round to your home, or go for a walk and talk. But sometimes it is lovely to get out of the house and relax with friends, with someone else hosting and taking care of things.

Onedayiwillsomething · 25/05/2025 16:58

I probably drink more as a result I can get 2 bottles of chicken wine (when on deal) for the price of a large glass in my local. As such we rarely stop off in the pub for a drink anymore, just open a bottle at home.

SpottedDonkey · 25/05/2025 16:42

I don’t think £10 for a cocktail is unreasonable at all because in addition to the cost of the alcohol they take a significant amount of time and (in some cases) a bit of skill to make. Ingredients, eg fruit & base mixes, need to be prepared. Staff need to be trained to make them. And in hospitality time is money, as in any other industry.

£10 for a glass of wine which takes 10 seconds to pour is a different matter, though…

Disturbia81 · 25/05/2025 14:22

Amba1998 · 24/05/2025 21:07

Cocktails have been at least £10 in Manchester for years. Wine though has become extortionate. A glass at my local little pub starts at £9!

I find eating out and drinking on a par with London prices and I think that’s been the case for years now.

Same in Leeds, £10 for a espresso martini!
Disgusting
I just don’t get drunk anymore, budget for a few and then done. Don’t let men buy me any as they feel even more like you owe them something.

Original poster
Lucytheluckyone · 25/05/2025 14:21

Lardychops · 25/05/2025 13:55

I can safely say that three out of my four sons are definitely holding up that tradition as I, their aunt and uncles did before them in the 80/90s!
pub crawls, clubbing, house parties, local stag do’s, Traffic conage, loss of personal items, returning home shirtless with one shoe, forgetting keys and falling asleep in summerhouse/garage/on grass and then getting up for overtime on a Saturday/sunday morning after two hours sleep.
Nailing the lot sigh….

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I don’t really drink anything other than wine but I wonder if spirits, vodka/coke etc that younger generations might drink in nightclubs, are cheaper? Yeah no deals whatsover in Scotland 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
Lucytheluckyone · 25/05/2025 14:18

mrsbrightside1308 · 25/05/2025 13:57

Fellow scot here,we do the same straight to the morrisons at the border 😂

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great idea for Xmas!!

OP posts:
mrsbrightside1308 · 25/05/2025 13:57

harijes · 24/05/2025 21:20

Scotland is so much higher anyway, even in supermarket. If we have a gathering or at Christmas we go to England.

No Offers here, no savings, really high.

Fellow scot here,we do the same straight to the morrisons at the border 😂

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 25/05/2025 13:55

This reply has been withdrawn

Post withdrawn at author's request

Lardychops · 25/05/2025 13:55

SerendipityJane · 25/05/2025 09:36

Isn't there a whole backdrop of the coming generations simply not drinking so much ?

Last office I worked in, there were no tales of nights out with traffic cones that would have been a staple of the 80s.

If there is less demand then the cost of servicing the remainder increases ... at some point you need to charge more to cover it. One of the many oddities the free market can throw up.

I can safely say that three out of my four sons are definitely holding up that tradition as I, their aunt and uncles did before them in the 80/90s!
pub crawls, clubbing, house parties, local stag do’s, Traffic conage, loss of personal items, returning home shirtless with one shoe, forgetting keys and falling asleep in summerhouse/garage/on grass and then getting up for overtime on a Saturday/sunday morning after two hours sleep.
Nailing the lot sigh….

AllyCart · 25/05/2025 13:55

AgnesX · 25/05/2025 12:58

Don't get that at all, the minimum unit price affects pubs and bars too. No happy hours etc.

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Unless they're trying to sell a pint of beer or medium glass of wine for under £1.30 then how does the minimum negatively affect them?

iamnotalemon · 25/05/2025 13:33

£4 for a lime and soda? FFS!!!

AgnesX · 25/05/2025 12:58

AllyCart · 25/05/2025 12:54

Minimum unit price makes absolutely zero difference in pubs.

If anything, Scotland's pubs benefit from the minimum unit price.

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Don't get that at all, the minimum unit price affects pubs and bars too. No happy hours etc.

Ludoole · 25/05/2025 12:58

Our local is £3.50 a pint and £11 for a bottle of wine. Been coming here 10 years and wouldn't go anywhere else.

AllyCart · 25/05/2025 12:54

AgnesX · 25/05/2025 08:51

Because as per bloody usual the drunken few have spoiled it for the majority.

Scotland has a dire relationship with booze.

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Minimum unit price makes absolutely zero difference in pubs.

If anything, Scotland's pubs benefit from the minimum unit price.

SerendipityJane · 25/05/2025 11:52

It's like eating out.

i can't remember the last time I had a meal out that felt worth the price.

Don’t get me started on the price of a coffee

You really have to accept you are paying for the space, the wifi, the comfort. The coffee is obviously an incidental.

If you want proper coffee, you are much better off getting some decent beans, a good machine and enjoy paying 30p a shot. Similar vibes to homebrewing 😀

Tiredofwhataboutery · 25/05/2025 11:18

I can’t bring myself to pay it. Don’t drink much anyway but can’t pay £10 for a small glass of wine in a pub. We were down in my local pretty town and bought wine at the co op and sat down by the river bank. Pubs are all rammed though so clearly doing well with the tourists.

Communitywebbing · 25/05/2025 11:13

Hugely expensive where I live. Soft drinks have gone up a lot too. I think the cost of living and cost of employing staff increases have made it impossible for the hospitality industry to keep their prices down.

Booksandwine80 · 25/05/2025 11:10

Hfrfge · 25/05/2025 10:57

You can just go without it.

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Well yes, how novel…..

Bjorkdidit · 25/05/2025 11:08

Maverickess · 25/05/2025 10:11

The cost of everything to deliver you your glass of wine has risen an awful lot.
From the supply of the wine itself to the environment you're sitting in, to the staff serving it to you and clearing up afterwards.
Who should be covering that increase if not the person wanting the wine?
Everyone knows that the cost of everything has risen and yes, you can buy a bottle to drink at home for a fraction of the price, but then you're supplying the labour to get it from the delivery to the glass, the glass, the premises and stock, the fuel to keep the place lit and warm/cool enough and you don't need insurance or a licence to do so. Those things aren't free, they cost more than just buying a bottle of wine, so why would you expect that you'll get the same price as buying it from a shop and drinking it at home?

People seem to really hate the hospitality industry at the moment and want it to subsidise their leisure time by not charging them what it costs to deliver the service they want, because they want the service, they just don't want to pay for it.

But household budgets are really suffering too and the first thing a responsible household budgeter cuts when making ends meet is overpriced non essentials like food and drink out of the house.

You'd have to be utterly stupid or a exceptional martyr to get into debt or miss essential bills to keep spending on wine in pubs to support the hospitality industry.

It's not hatred, it's necessary financial prudence.

InMyOpenOnion · 25/05/2025 11:08

I guess this is partly why young people are looking for alternative ways to socialise. I used to go for a night out to the pub and then maybe a club at that age. Night bus home. These days that would be about £60 minimum.

Hfrfge · 25/05/2025 10:57

Booksandwine80 · 25/05/2025 10:37

I enjoy a really good glass of wine if we go out for a meal just the 2 of us (probably happens about 3 times a year due to no babysitter) so that’s not really a helpful answer is it?🙄

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You can just go without it.

Booksandwine80 · 25/05/2025 10:37

Hfrfge · 24/05/2025 22:37

Just drink less

I enjoy a really good glass of wine if we go out for a meal just the 2 of us (probably happens about 3 times a year due to no babysitter) so that’s not really a helpful answer is it?🙄

Original poster
Lucytheluckyone · 25/05/2025 10:24

Lzzyisgod · 25/05/2025 08:41

Mind you the price of cup of nice coffee is eye watering now too. I'd rather have a pint!

Don’t get me started on the price of a coffee 🤣

OP posts:
cramptramp · 25/05/2025 10:20

Gettingbysomehow · 24/05/2025 22:10

I don't care. I'm teetotal.

That’s nice dear.

teksquad · 25/05/2025 10:19

I too would rather pay the "Not a Spoons" tax . What has surpised me recently is the variation. Even in our small commuter town there are extortiinate places and really quite good value places. I normally drink bottled beer and for Peroni, for example, there are places where I can pay £4 a bottle and places that want £7.50, in the same town. I find the same in London.

DH and friends who go to the pub to watch sport have spotted a recent thing which is downlod the brewery/pub app. They often give you a free drink or discount.

Luckily I dont drink wine, its extortionate everywhere.