WordPress just informed me that my last post was my 21st post (yay!) and to ring in my 21st post, I decided that my next post should be about one of the pluses of being 21: legal drinking. Now, I’m no lush, but I have to be honest, I love a good margarita (It’s all about the salt baby) and a great glass of dry red wine. Unfortunately, the price of a drink in New York is about the same as my college tuition. Luckily, my fellow blogger Kylie has some great tips on how to stretch your drinking dollars. Here are some of her suggestions!
Times are hard but that doesn’t have to stop every college student breaking the bank when it comes to going out and drinking, despite living in one of the priciest cities in the nation. Here are some ways to enjoy going out (or staying in) without there being plastic liquor bottles involved (queue reactionary gag)
1. Pick your liquor carefully: The $10 bottle of Tequila may be tempting, but save yourself the hangover. Good, cheap booze does exist.
Unless you want to party with these guys, I suggest buying liquor that you won't be embarassed to take out of the brown paper bag
Gin: Gordon’s London Dry Gin $15, 80 proof
Great for mixing cocktails and with tonic water.
Vodka: Pinnacle $12.99, 70 proof
They have every flavor from Apple to Le Double Expresso but, my favorites are the Whipped and Cotton Candy. The sweetness masks the alcohol incredibly.
Rum: Bacardi, $16.99, 70 proof
Mix with punch, coke, or pretty much any beverage and your cost per drink is so low, you’re practically stealing.
The earlier you get there, the better the deals
2. Happy Hour: It’s your best friend
Session House, Barcelona Bar (after seeing they have Harry Potter shots I am totally trying it), G-50 Bar and Grill, O’Neill’s Irish Bar all have drink specials and are minutes away from Lincoln Center and/or Grand Central Station.
3. Coupon It
Travelzoo’s Local Deals is one of my favorite and right now they’re offering this deal for six cocktails at the Dream Hotel for $39. Assuming you’ll split that between a friend, that’s 20 bucks for 3 specialty cocktails which would normally cost $45. Or take all the drinks for yourself and have a dreamy night. Groupon also occasionally has specials on wine and liquors.
4. BYOB
Pick restaurants that are BYOB, just make sure to find out before arriving if they have a corking fee.
5. Watch your intake: Just because you’ve saved a ton of cash on liquor doesn’t give you the excuse to get absolutely blitzkrieged drunk. Also, keep the embarrassing pictures to a minimum. Your Facebook with thank you in the morning.
Economic Academic 