Overpriced Cocktail Hall of Shame, Part II

When we asked readers last week to email their own experiences with bars that serve absurdly overpriced cocktails, it went way beyond the $14 martini—and we agree, why should a well drink with $5-a-bottle vodka cost $9? Our boozing colleagues at Citysearch and New York online even wrote in, sick of shelling out for another $10 rum and Coke. Also, extra demerits go to rooftop and other outside bars that serve their costly cocktails in plastic cups. Granted, there may be some legal reasons for this—something about the throwing of glass tumblers from 10 stories up, perhaps?—in which case, our rejoinder is that nothing makes us want to hurl foamy Bud more than coughing up $50 for three frozen mojitos in glorified Dixie cups. Brothers and sisters, we've been had.

With that, here are the new submissions to our Overpriced Cocktail Hall of Shame. (Please note: We didn't check these prices ourselves, but our readers wouldn't lie to us, would they?)

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I was at old favorite Milk & Honey for the first time in a while a few nights ago and their cocktail prices have rocketed up to, if I remember correctly, $15 (if I'm not mistaken they started years ago at $8, then went to $11). And they weren't even using real absinthe in the Sauzerac that night. I guess Sasha wised up when he saw the customers at Double Seven digging into their Blahnik budgets for apple juice.

—Daniel Maurer, Nightlife Editor/Producer at NYMag.com

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Nightlife editor over here at Citysearch. Had to submit this puppy to the Hall of Shame: Believe Lounge.

I know, I know... it's $12... one dollar too short. But if you pick a runner-up, this should be it, man.

—Katie Heffernan, City Editor for New York, Citysearch.com

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I am so excited you are reporting the absurdness that is overpriced drinks.

The Stanton Social shocked the bejesus out of me with its overpriced martinis. Sure, the celebs hang there, but still! It's in the Lower East Side, for crying out loud.

Kittichai serves, for brunch, $4 coffee and martinis start at $14. It's in Soho. The food's not worth it either. (I hadn't seen $14 Lox and Bagel platters since I had room service in Vegas, and that included tip!)

—Marisa Torrieri

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How about Kush Lounge on the Lower East Side? The hookahs run $30, but the cocktails are all $15. Don't get me wrong, they're good—and strong—but $15 good? No.

—Beth Bonnette

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I would definitely add [the rooftop of] The Delancey where a Jack and Coke was $9 and served in a plastic cup for Christ sakes!

—Stephen Schwalen

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Please add Dos Caminos to the list. They're really pushing it with their drink prices.

—George Archer

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The PM Martini at PM in the Meatpacking District is $15 for something involving fruity stuff and boozy stuff and a flower. Likely to contain a top-secret recipe of Capri Sun and Grey Goose. I admit, it tastes pretty good, but most of it will end up spilled all over the crowds of sleazy people in shiny outfits as they scoff at you for dressing in 100 per cent cotton.

—Tracy Kaufman

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You might consider doing an article on places that engage in the practice of "double-dipping". This a HUGE pet-peeve of mine. It's when a bar or restaurant charges additional sales tax on their alcoholic drinks. For example, if I am at the bar at Mercer Kitchen (which could also be a nominee come to think of it) and I look at the blackboard, it says a certain glass of wine is $9. However, when I get the bill, the drink is almost a full dollar more because they have added sales tax to the cost of the drink, a tax that is supposed to be included. That extra money goes into their pocket and in my opinion, should represent tax fraud. Besides Mercer Kitchen, other places that I know engage in this are: The Odeon, Edward's and pretty much all Jean-Georges restaurants.

—Charles Hardwick

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Note: We received two nominations for Hotel Gansevoort's rooftop bar. Here is one.

The bar at the top of Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District should make your list. I ordered two Amstel Lights and a vodka tonic. It came out to 32 bucks and all were served in plastic cups. It was $9 each for the Amstels, and $14 for the vodka tonic (with house vodka).After we finished our drinks, we exited promptly. If we would have had parachutes we could have got out of there sooner. It was a bad recommendation from a coworker who makes way more than I do.

—Dan Cabaniss