Food & Drink
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NYC cocktails are more expensive than ever — here’s what makes NYers willing to shell out $30, $50 and $60 a drink
Kinsey Donner thinks $18 is a “reasonable” price for a drink in the city, but honestly, she’ll really pay anything.
“I’ve just accepted that drinks in New York are expensive,” the 28-year-old transplant from Virginia told The Post. She said it’s become her “new normal” after living in Manhattan for 2½ years.
Things in New York — even just living — are worth more because they’re likely to be top-tier, Donner said, “because the expectations in New York are so much higher than anywhere else.”
Employees Only — where cocktails go for about $23 — has become one of her favorite sipping spots in the city, but she’s splurged on a $30 martini at Bemelmans Bar and doesn’t regret it.
“I wanted to try out the bar, they have live jazz — and it’s a known establishment that’s been around forever,” the Kips Bay resident justified.
New Yorkers may complain about high prices, but at the end of the day, they’re still handing over the cash.
As The Post reported in 2004, New Yorkers were complaining about paying $14 for a margarita — now, they’d be more than happy to see any cocktail under $15.
In 2010, the average price of a drink in the city was $10.78, . The Post reported at the time that prices were realistically a few bucks higher, but even so, they’ve never been more expensive than they are now.
At the Baccarat Hotel, the bar’s old-fashioned and Baccarat Rouge, each over $50, are the top sellers, staffers told The Post. And people constantly order the Polo Bar’s $60 martini, which is served on a silver platter with oysters and caviar in the exclusive room.
Fifty-year-old Marcelo Gigliani appreciates a good cocktail with good company, so he’ll splurge when he feels it’s right.
“There are moments when it should be really cheap, and then there are moments when I’m willing to pay $20 or $30 for a cocktail, in the right situation with the right people in the right environment,” Gigliani told The Post.
“A cocktail serves different purposes. It depends on what you’re after, so it’s hard to put a price on it.”
José María Dondé, beverage manager and head mixologist at the Bedford Stone Street in the Financial District, noted some of the nuances of setting prices in New York City.
“Most bars aim to keep drink costs around [four to five times] the price [it costs to make]. So, if a cocktail costs $3 to make, it’s usually priced around $12 to $15. That keeps the lights on and the bar running,” Dondé explained to The Post.
Cocktails at the newish spot range from $17 to $20.
“When you buy a cocktail, you’re not just paying for what’s in the glass, you’re paying for the whole experience that comes with it,” Dondé said.
Some people are ready to spill some cash for an inventive drink at a place with “clout,” especially if it’s something that they can’t make at home.
“If it’s a craft custom cocktail, I’ll pay a premium,” Shannon Tweed, 30, told The Post.
“I’m in it for the experience.”
But other customers aren’t as ready to splash out on a drink — no matter the circumstances.
“One time in Soho, I saw an espresso martini for around $30 to $50, and I left the bar immediately. We got seated, I looked at the menu and I immediately said hell no,” Ashley Stewart told The Post.
Nick Smith, 30, agreed that “if a cocktail [price] starts with a 3, it’s too expensive.” He and his girlfriend, Caroline Lea, 25, prefer to drink on the Lower East Side, where they think drink prices are a bit more reasonable — they paid $14 and $15 for their cocktails at Little Canal.
All in all, most people in Manhattan are willing to pay $15 to $20 for a cocktail in the city.
“A normal standard cocktail should cost $15,” Chris Morales declared to The Post. He shelled out $21 for his after-work drink at the Bryant Park Grill this spring and thought the price was “a bit high.”
He confessed to once having paid $50 for an old-fashioned made from Bulleit whiskey or Baker’s rye bourbon, but said it was a “dumb move.”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Morales said, shaking his head.
Some who are older and wiser have learned their lesson.
Former restaurateur Darrell Maupin says he’s been priced out of the city. “I don’t want to have a subhuman life,” he told The Post.
“I rarely go out to restaurants because I can’t afford them. I’d rather buy a bottle for $30 than spend $30 on one drink.”
