Is the Middle-Class Cocktail Dead?

“The $15 cocktail is back, thank God.”

One of my favorite drinks writers, Robert Simonson (The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World’s First Classic Cocktail with Recipes and Lore was possibly the first cocktail book I read cover-to-cover), recently penned a piece for Grub Street extolling the return of the $15 cocktail.

Which is good! The article provides a wonderful overview of new bars by seasoned cocktail vets who are ditching the $22 drink for more accessible pricing. “A handful of seasoned owners are putting the brakes on the ever-accelerating cost and cleverness of the average mixed drink, leaning instead into familiarity, accessibility and value,” he writes, citing new bars from the folks behind Mister Paradise, Death & Co and Three Dots and a Dash as the instigators of this new reasonably-priced night out.

After reading the article, I was pleased. But before I took a deep dive and actually read it, the headline threw me off and caused a bit of commentary in the office — also from people who, admittedly, probably hadn’t read the whole piece yet. The consternation was all from the same place: When did $15 become the new $12? Which, even a little while back, was $10?

Let’s get the price culprits out of the way first. The COVID era caused a lot of damage to places that rely on in-person experiences (you know, like bars) and hospitality is going to feel that for a few more years. Rent isn’t getting cheaper. And, ignoring whatever the hell tariffs are going to do to the drinks industry (doesn’t seem good!), you’ve got the nebulous “inflation” excuse.

My concern is that we’ve reached a point where $15 is considered a bargain, and we got there very quickly. The first thing I do with every new restaurant or bar I get pitched is look at the cocktail menu prices, and the lack of shame is apparent. We’re now at a point where $22-$24 is feeling really normal, and I’m beginning to wonder: Are some places charging exorbitantly more just because they can? And how are we going to get younger adults interested in great cocktails if we’re essentially shutting them out?

All the usual caveats apply here: If you’ve made me something special, the price should reflect that effort (last night’s two-drink, pre-tax/pre-tip $42 bar tab at Hawksmoor was certainly worth it). If I’m at an average restaurant or everyday bar and you’ve made me a decent Old Fashioned without any bells or whistles and a mainstream bourbon, $15 is overcharging. I feel like there’s a middle ground here! I know some bars have found a way to offer well-made drinks starting at $12 and also offer some extremely elevated experiences that may hit three figures per drink.

Yes, You Can Still Get a Great $12 Cocktail

How Manhattan’s Back Bar crafts its affordably high-end drinks menu

My rant is certainly geared more toward venues that don’t necessarily need an elevated cocktail menu but feel obligated to offer ridiculously-priced drinks, like the wine-centric bar near our workplace that was thrilled to advertise the launch of a really basic cocktail menu where drinks started at $24. Come. On.

At the end of the day, my personal budget is shoehorning me into making difficult choices, such as 1) ordering average cocktails and drink specials at neighborhood bars in Brooklyn (fun, modestly priced, not necessarily interesting), 2) scouring happy hours at higher-end establishments (good drinks but often limited choices and hours) and/or 3) severely limiting my elevated cocktail experiences. Which is a shame, because I truly believe we’re in a Golden Age of great bars … even as I pine for the pre-COVID, $8 cocktails at the now-shuttered Boilermaker in the East Village. That spot is now Superbueno, which is a fantastic bar that I can’t really afford on most nights.

Let’s hope that the $15 price point sticks around for a while. I’m not sure I’m ready for the inevitable “thank god it’s only $18 for a great cocktail” piece for a few more years.