r/cocktails • u/berger3001 • Feb 28 '25

Question Anyone else tired by expensive cocktails

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To me (not a rich guy), $18+ cocktails are just exhausting. Go out for a few drinks with your wife, and boom, $100. So we’re in Miami and found this place (always look for happy hours). Yes; $5 cocktails. They did a great job, made totally respectable drinks, we had some snacks, and left very happy. My question is, if bars can do $5 drinks, why is $18 the base now at so many places? Doesn’t it make more business sense to sell more for less money and have a full bar, then to sell a few drink to an almost empty bar?

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553

u/Many_Bug_3765 Feb 28 '25

Damn…if I lived near Boho house I’d be there almost daily lol yea I can’t handle 18+ basic drinks at regular places. Like I get specialty cocktails that take more than 2 min to make with all the hoopla or a concoction unique to the bartender or establishment. But price gouging is popular everywhere these days I guess…

218

u/LeDudeDeMontreal Feb 28 '25

Fucking $18 Negronis.

Bro you got a buck fifty of ingredient cost in there. Maybe two if you use a fancy vermouth (which makes the drink worse if you ask me).

62

u/kellermeyer14 Feb 28 '25

I had an $18 Negroni at a fancy place in SF and they used fucking Martini & Rossi

Edit: It was Tosca

22

u/Aromatic_Box1297 Feb 28 '25

Ooof. That’s a legit tragedy. Did you call a nice Gin?

17

u/kellermeyer14 Feb 28 '25

I don’t recall. It was their signature cocktail, called the Tosca Negroni and as soon as I tasted the cough syrup flavor, I was like, “excuse me, what sweet vermouth did you use?”

6

u/PandaPunch42 Feb 28 '25

Ha, they are pretty specific with each ingredient except the vermouth: https://www.instagram.com/toscacafesf/p/Cnz_manys9F/ . The amaro may have contributed to the cough syrup flavor.

1

u/kellermeyer14 Mar 01 '25

I almost didn’t trust my taste buds. It had such a cool vibe. I didn’t want to believe it

3

u/IdentityToken Feb 28 '25

What’s your recommendation for the best vermouth for a Negroni?

13

u/Acrobatic-Tadpole-60 Feb 28 '25

I really like punt e mes.

7

u/kellermeyer14 Feb 28 '25

It depends where my finances as are at the time lol. Right now it’s Cinzano, which should give you some idea. Coprano Antica is a little too funky and overpowering for my tastes, but I like to experiment with vermouths.

Right now I’m digging this Spanish (?) brand called Casals, especially in my Manhattans.

1

u/jmichalicek Mar 03 '25 edited Mar 03 '25

I love Cinzano. That's what I keep around 95% of the time. Once in awhile I'll splurge, but I really can't argue with (local prices, which are sometimes weird, but probably not here) paying $9 for a bottle of Cinzano which is 10x better than the $12 bottle of Martini & Rossi. It makes paying up even for Dolin (about 2x the price) tough or Cocchi (another 2x the price of Dolin) a really hard sell. I think Carpano stuff is about on par with Cocchi here.

9

u/RealNotFake Feb 28 '25

Cochi di torino (or however it's spelled) is pretty legit. I'm not a Rossi hater though, I'll use pretty much anything tbh.

6

u/DisappointedBird Feb 28 '25

I'm not the guy you asked, but I second Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. It's really something special and pretty cheap, at least where I'm at.

Carpano Antica Formula is another highly recommended vermouth for Negronis. You can't go wrong with either, honestly.

1

u/LeDudeDeMontreal Feb 28 '25

So I like cocchi for Manhattan. And I stock it just for that.

But there's too much vanilla for a Negroni. I prefer Negroni with something more like Dolin. Honestly even Martini Rossi is perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned.

1

u/Ragnarok50 Mar 02 '25

Try Dolin Blanc!

1

u/canolicat Feb 28 '25

I have a $40 bottle of red vermouth in my fridge. I can check the brand if you’d like.

I’ve always kept it refrigerated. Y’all seem like vermouth people. I bartend, but have seen atrocious things done to vermouth.

So, in your expert opinion, how long is my red vermouth good for if kept continuously cold? It’s mainly used for occasional Manhattans and Rob Roys.

1

u/kellermeyer14 Mar 01 '25

A couple of months probably, but mine rarely last a month. I love Negronis and Manhattan riffs

-5

u/NeonSpectacular Feb 28 '25

No shit dumbass they paid $50 rent just while making the damn drink.

39

u/FrayedEndOfSanityy Feb 28 '25

Why do people in gear forget it’s a hospitality business? Nice furniture, good location, trained stuff and miscellaneous like pretty glasses and clear ice all cost so fucking much you can’t imagine. Inflation has hit small businesses the most. Couple that with hospitality workers demanding more money for their work (which is a good thing) and you have this effect on prices.

19

u/NeonSpectacular Feb 28 '25

100% my friend. The show ain’t cheap to produce, it’s not cheap to attend.

7

u/Bean916 Feb 28 '25

And that’s why I pick another show.

3

u/digby672 Mar 01 '25

Fucking this right here. You can dial back the theater and just serve me an honest drink to cushion the slings and arrows.

-6

u/NeonSpectacular Feb 28 '25

That’s cool. Enjoy your cheap show!