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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Cocktails are so overpriced .....

76 replies

ratliiie · 02/10/2021 20:41

Went out tonight for the first time in forever and had 3 cocktails
1st place £10.50 for a cocktail
2nd place £13.50
3rd place £11.00
£35 for 3 drinks!

Is it just me that thinks this is so expensive
I haven't been out for a while and this shocked me

OP posts:

Lorw · 02/10/2021 23:14

Love colonel porters

Cocktails in Newcastle OP. If you go to central oven and shaker they do buy one get the same one free so 2 cocktails for £11 😁 we love going there! Loads of different cocktails, I like the sweetshop ones 😂 they also do the cocktail sharing trees which work out at £5 a cocktail, think it’s 6 for £30 😁

icedcoffees · 02/10/2021 23:22

@idontlikealdi

A double g&t will set you back around £14, prices have gone through the roof.

Bloody hell, not round here it won't! Try less than a fiver

Cocktails are also never more than £6 or so.

Shoxfordian · 02/10/2021 23:25

Yabu

That’s how much cocktails are

Lou98 · 02/10/2021 23:30

Definitely depends where you are! In our nearest city they're generally £8-£12 for one on a Saturday, cheaper during the week.

In my town, however, they're £4.50 at the local pubs, although they definitely don't come as fancy, taste the same though!

Lou98 · 02/10/2021 23:32

@idontlikealdi

A double g&t will set you back around £14, prices have gone through the roof.

Definitely depends on area - £1.70 for a single here, £3.00 for a double 😂

earsup · 02/10/2021 23:39

I dont drink now but often found them watery....years ago went to dive bars in new york...one dollar cocktails...lethal...also the ruin bars in budapest...about 3 quid....now about a fiver....a few of those and you are pissed...!!

thinkbiglittleone · 02/10/2021 23:42

Less than a fiver for a double gin and tonic !!!
what bloomin Gin are they using, the mixer bottles of tonic are usual £1.50 or more.

We need to know what area that is
But yes definitely dependant on area and type of establishment

OP,I think you are paying the higher end for a good cocktail, but not extortionate, it is a skill to learn how to be a good mixologist or cocktail waiter. I don't begrudge it.

Gilly12345 · 02/10/2021 23:45

No I don’t drink cocktails as they are too expensive, I am not tight but think they are a rip off.

icedcoffees · 02/10/2021 23:45

I'm in the north west.

If any bar or pub tried to charge more than £7 for a cocktail they'd very soon go out of business 🤣🤣

As for £14 for a double G&T - why the fucking hell would you pay that when you can get an entire bottle of Gin for the same price?! 🙈

HollowTalk · 02/10/2021 23:56

@Yesitsbess

I paid £44 quid for one drink once. It took up about 20 minutes of the bartenders time, involved a cloche and smoke being piped into said cloche cinnamon all over the shop and herbs and rare whiskey and all sorts. It was a brilliant show and a brilliant cocktail and I don't begrudge it. But generally, yup they're stupidly overpriced.

Anyone else thinking of Rowan Atkinson in love actually?

KingdomScrolls · 02/10/2021 23:56

I worked in a fancy cocktail bar when I was young, full mixology training etc, still dust off the barkeeper's friend and my Boston shaker set on rare occasions. A good cocktail is a thing of beauty, there are plenty that are just like homemade alcopops with ice. I don't mind paying decent money for a well made cocktail. It takes a lot more time and effort than pulling a pint. Cocktails were around £8/£9 when I was making them in the early 2000s so twenty years later those prices don't seem excessive.

Lou98 · 03/10/2021 00:48

@thinkbiglittleone I'm in a town in Scotland - if any local bars/pubs tried to charge even a fiver for a G&T round here they'd soon be out of business 😂

katscamel · 03/10/2021 02:13

I love avoid cocktail. In the country I'm now living in a cocktail is cheaper than my normal Starbucks order.....unfortunately can't really take one into work

TreeSmuggler · 03/10/2021 06:08

Yes they are expensive but you know you don't have to buy them right? Laughing at pp who said in reply life is so expensive... It's a cocktail, not air or water! If your life is expensive because you always buy cocktails, that really doesn't sound too bad. Are your diamond shoes also too tight?

TreeSmuggler · 03/10/2021 06:09

And I absolutely love a cocktail, don't mind the price, and can afford it, but even I wouldn't buy three on a night out. One or two max, then switch to wine or beer.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 03/10/2021 06:17

I'm remembering a cocktail from my student days... it was called a Blue Pint. Consisted of a shot of vodka (or was it two?), a blue alcopop and lemonade. All cheap generic versions. Cost £2. The entry of the night club was £1 if you wore school uniform on a Wednesday.

The good old days...

WTF475878237NC · 03/10/2021 06:25

Some people are missing the point. Yes market price is very expensive, but alcohol is cheap so the profit margins are huge!

Waxonwaxoff0 · 03/10/2021 07:07

I love cocktails. I don't like wine or beer and spirits are just as expensive these days so I often buy cocktails. My local bar sells them for £6-£8 each and at happy hour you can get 2 for £8.

MadameMinimes · 03/10/2021 07:38

Alcohol might be cheap but rent for swanky city centre locations is expensive, staffing is expensive. Comparing the price of eating or drinking out to what you could make it for at home totally misses the point of what you’re paying for.

I’m not a cocktail snob and will happily knock back a 2 for £8 Long Island Iced Tea from the local ‘spoons, but I’ll also happily pay £13 for a decent cocktail. I don’t feel ripped off as it’s a totally different thing. Those saying that they don’t think there’s much alcohol in cocktails are clearly drinking the 2-4-1 sort of cocktails. A really good, spirit-forward cocktail makes you feel like you could light your breath on fire.

Mybalconyiscracking · 03/10/2021 07:50

You get a whole jug of some disgusting blue stuff for only £6 in Spoons.

icedcoffees · 03/10/2021 07:58

Cocktails were around £8/£9 when I was making them in the early 2000s so twenty years later those prices don't seem excessive.

I don't think I've ever paid that much for a cocktail

Even the fancy bars around here only charge £6.

tranquillitybase · 03/10/2021 07:58

I went out the other night and the cocktails were two for £12, thought what a bargain until I saw them "make" it. It was just some pre mixed nonsense in a bottle they poured into a shaker and shook up with some ice 🙄

burnoutbabe · 03/10/2021 09:10

Actually thinking about it, I am happier to pay higher prices for small cocktail bars where you get table service and you get a nice overall experience.

But that means far less customers than say b@1 bars. And higher prices to reflect that.

AnnaSW1 · 03/10/2021 09:22

They have several shots in them usually that's why.

elenacampana · 03/10/2021 09:33

@icedcoffees

I'm in the north west.

If any bar or pub tried to charge more than £7 for a cocktail they'd very soon go out of business 🤣🤣

As for £14 for a double G&T - why the fucking hell would you pay that when you can get an entire bottle of Gin for the same price?! 🙈

I’m in the NW too, I was at a place where they were £11 yesterday and the place was really busy!

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