# How much does a drink cost at your local bar/club? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 26, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695 "2008-12-26T01:44:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/41 "2008-12-30T08:53:45Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Just out or curiosity, how do locals get drunk in Iceland enough to make the club scene worthwhile? There aren’t that many people to begin with and lots would have to save up for weeks to get a decent buzz the way I am reading this. Lots of Americans would have to spend $300 a night to drink just 12 drinks and that does not make sense. > > There must be something else going on. I want to go to Iceland but how do people afford going out at all? Well, there’s always smuggling 🙂 Or booze you bring when you come from abroad. By which I mean that people usually start off at home parties and head down town later in the night. Or you just suck it up and spend the money anyway. I spent pretty close to $300 the weekend before Christmas on a standard pub crawl, without any major excesses. You did however miss my take on PPP in the OP, so the drinks wouldn’t be quite so expensive these days for foreigners due to the favorable exchange rates. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/42 "2008-12-30T19:58:12Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Just out or curiosity, how do locals get drunk in Iceland enough to make the club scene worthwhile? There aren’t that many people to begin with and lots would have to save up for weeks to get a decent buzz the way I am reading this. Lots of Americans would have to spend $300 a night to drink just 12 drinks and that does not make sense. > > There must be something else going on. I want to go to Iceland but how do people afford going out at all? 12 drinks??? Um, what’s “going on” is that most people aren’t raging alcoholics. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/43 "2008-12-30T20:06:46Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > 12 drinks??? Um, what’s “going on” is that most people aren’t raging alcoholics. Even if you split it among two people and have six each, that still sounds like a lot of money. Binge drinking is extremely common in the U.S. especially among young people and plenty of otherwise non-alcoholics drink many drinks in a night routinely. I always heard the night-club scene in Iceland can be hopping. Do people not get drunk as a general rule? What are the places like? ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/44 "2008-12-30T20:07:52Z")
At the bar I work at - $1.75 for a beer. Liquor is $2, $2.25, or $2.50 depending on which you ask for. Doubles range from $3.50 to $5. I almost never get asked for anything more complicated than a margarita and I made the price up as I went. Same deal with shots. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/45 "2008-12-30T20:08:57Z")
Erm… I’m not even flinching at 12 drinks, let alone 2 people, six drinks each, which is what I’m presuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the married \*\*Shagnasty \*\*means, and I’m not a raging alchoholic. I DO tend to start early and finish late when I go out though, and if you’re out for 6-8 hours, that’s two or fewer drinks per hour. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/46 "2008-12-30T20:21:57Z")
At my regular bar in West Hollywood, a sapphire/tonic, jack/coke or similar is 6 bucks and I always tip a dollar. Around the corner at the Abbey the same drink is $11. (Most of the reason I don’t go there) ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/47 "2008-12-30T20:26:59Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Even if you split it among two people and have six each, that still sounds like a lot of money. Binge drinking is extremely common in the U.S. especially among young people and plenty of otherwise non-alcoholics drink many drinks in a night routinely. I always heard the night-club scene in Iceland can be hopping. Do people not get drunk as a general rule? What are the places like? You must’ve missed my answer in post 41? Yes, people go out. Yes, people party a lot. Yes, people drink a lot. But you usually start at home. And grudingly pay the high prices (unless you’ve just been abroad or have a smuggler friend) ETA: And **Nametag**. 12 drinks in one night ain’t all that much, like \*\*DianaG \*\*says. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/48 "2008-12-30T20:36:23Z")
Around here that’s called “pregaming” - start at home so you don’t spend so much out. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/49 "2008-12-30T20:40:12Z")
Pregaming. That’s definately a word that’s going into my vocabulary! ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/50 "2008-12-30T20:45:22Z")
On Thursdays at one of the bars on the University of Illinois’ campus you can but a whole keg for, I think, $15. You have to do it before either 5 or 7, I forget which. Most drinks are $3-$5, but you can always find a $1-$2 special every day of the week and the classier bars have “martinis” and scotch that can run up to around $15. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/51 "2008-12-30T21:32:45Z")
> [@ShelliBean](#): > > At the bar I work at - $1.75 for a beer. > > Liquor is $2, $2.25, or $2.50 depending on which you ask for. Doubles range from $3.50 to $5. I almost never get asked for anything more complicated than a margarita and I made the price up as I went. Same deal with shots. OK where do you work because I’m coming over. > [@ntucker](#): > > For the types of places I tend to go (pub-type places in seattle; not “clubs”), you can usually expect a pint to be $4 or maybe $5. Specialty beer will be more, like rare belgians that go up to $15 at certain places I go (but they still have normal-priced stuff on tap). The dives I go to you usually get PBR for $2 - $2.50 (Sunday’s at Shorty’s PBR is $1) Bud $2.50 - $3.50. Micros $3.50 - $5.00 Wells $3 - $5. Shots $4 - $7. That is for the basic stuff. Top shelf and Belgians vary all over the place. But these are the “dives”\* like Lava Lounge, Shorty’s, Teddy’s, Lock & Keel, Water Wheel. I don’t do the fancier places like Twist, Mix, Bel Mar, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/52 "2008-12-30T22:39:23Z")
I gave it serious thought, and based on Shagnasty’s 2nd post, I don’t think he was thinking of “drinking for 2.” 2 drinks an hour IS a lot – even in my rip-roaringest, drink-til-til-you-puke, pass-out-and-wake-up-still-drunk episodes (in my youth, thank god), I couldn’t have kept that pace up for more than 3 hours. My comment was also based on the implication (“even 12 drinks”) that this was a minimal acceptable number for one person. If your evening ain’t complete unless you’re completely shitfaced from start to finish, then you’ve got a problem – granted, it might not be alcoholism. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/53 "2008-12-30T22:54:21Z")
In the bay area, it varies wildly. There are bars with dollar or two beer, and there are bars where I have paid $16.00 for a fruity rummy drink. My currently favorite place is an upscale restaurant which I can’t really afford- $10.00 for a cocktail in a 9 oz martini glass This is excluding the really high end liquors (the tequila bars with specialty shots for over $100.00 and such) Oh, and if I am not driving, four drinks an hour easy… Not even to get raging drunk- I am just big and can hold my liquor. I probably wouldn’t exceed 12 in 3 hours, though… ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/54 "2008-12-30T22:59:57Z")
> [@Rack-a-Bones](#): > > OK where do you work because I’m coming over. Well I work in a country club in the deep south, but you are welcome to swing by if you want to make the trip! ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/55 "2008-12-30T23:34:48Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Binge drinking is extremely common in the U.S. Borderline GD comment: On the other hand, having two cocktails before dinner is technically a binge, since an average cocktail has 2-3 units of alcohol. I realize that the researchers need to come up with an operational definition of “binge”; I just don’t agree that the current definition is particularly valid. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/56 "2008-12-30T23:58:36Z")
Pints (14 oz.) are $4.25 at our favorite brewpub - [Russian River](http://russianriverbrewing.com/pages/chalk.html). But my husband and I always pay happy hour prices. - $2.75 a pint. Prices do vary greatly, but I’d always expect to pay about $4 for a decent beer, $10 for a decent glass of wine. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695/57 "2008-12-31T00:00:07Z")
I think it’s 1.80 euros for a half-pint, 2 to 3.50 for special beers (which may or may not come in larger glasses, or contain more alcohol). Most pubs are a little bit more expensive, though, but not by a lot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-a-drink-cost-at-your-local-bar-club/478695.md?page=2)