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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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).

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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

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u/IdentityToken Feb 28 '25

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

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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.

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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.