FoodNOV 15, 2023

“I Burst Into Tears”: Woman Orders A Cocktail For Under £20, Learns It’s Actually £1,890

It’s always important to check the price tag before making any purchases. Whether you’re at the airport and want to ensure that you’re not being charged $12 for a bottle of water or you’re shopping for a new pair of jeans and want to secure the best deal possible, it’s crucial that you know what to expect when the time comes to pay.

One woman who learned this lesson the hard way recently shared a video on TikTok detailing how she accidentally ordered a cocktail that costs more than many people’s monthly rent. Below, you’ll find the full story that Lynsey Bennett posted, as well as some of the replies amused viewers left.

It's dangerously easy to rack up a large tab at a fancy cocktail bar

Image credits: Aleksandar Andreev (not the actual photo)

Lynsey Bennett learned this lesson the hard way, after unintentionally ordering the most expensive drink a hotel had to offer

Image credits: lynsey_36

"I ordered a £2000 cocktail and I couldn't afford to pay for it"

So my husband and I were spending a few days in London just before New Year's and we had been to the theatre and we had gone out. We had a nice meal and we were a little bit tipsy and we got back to your hotel. We walked into the bar in the hotel. The young guy behind the bar, he'd just started, was from Sorrento. We had been there in the summer so we were having a great chat. I always drink champagne, I rarely drink cocktails, and I thought, you know what, I'm going to order something a little bit different. I'll order a cocktail.

So I ordered a cocktail which I think was called '1890'. And I thought that was the cost of £18.90. So the young chap brought out a bottle of Cristal, popped open the Cristal, gold leaf, 30 year 30-year-old cognac. They gave me this huge book to sign and there we were just thinking we were the bee's knees. And then they presented the bill for £2000 and I was like, 'uh-oh', I can't afford to pay that'.

After her initial video went viral, Lynsey explained the situation in further detail

Image credits: lynsey_36

So when I discovered the cocktail I had ordered was £2000, I showed my husband the receipt and he was furious at me. So he left the bar, left me there on my own to deal with it. I said to the young guy behind the bar, 'look, I'm so sorry, I had no idea this was £1890'. It was set out on the menu where it said 18 gap nine. So I presumed it was £18.90.

Image credits: lynsey_36

Looking back at the menu, the rest of the drinks were like 19.50. It was 1950, so it was definitely my mistake, but it was a genuine mistake. So I started to panic. He started to panic. He called his manager over. This was a 5-star hotel, so the manager was so discreet and so wonderful, he completely played it down. He was like 'Look, it's fine, don't worry about it. Go up to your room, enjoy the rest of your stay and we will sort this out.'

Image credits: lynsey_36

This was the first of a five-night stay at this hotel so the whole time we were there my nerves were absolutely wrecked. I kept thinking, god, if they ask me to pay for this cocktail, which I didn't even enjoy because it was whiskey-based and I don't like whiskey, IF they ask me to pay £2000 for this cocktail, I am going to have an absolute heart attack.

So I avoided the bar like the plague, even though I had to walk past it every day to get to my room. Then on New Year's night, because that's what I was in London for, I was there for New Year's night, my sister came over and we went out for a meal and we came back to the hotel. And again, we were tipsy and we thought, 'oh the hell of it, let's go in, let's go into the bar.' And we went into the bar and we saw the manager and he put his arms out to me.

And he was like, 'oh, this is the girl that made us open the Cristal. And I had to drink the Cristal.' And I said, 'I am so terribly sorry. It was a genuine mistake.'

I said, 'what about the guy behind the bar, because he was so nervous about it.' He says, 'well, I sacked him.' So I burst into tears. I was so terribly, terribly upset. I was like, 'look, it's not worth the guy's job. I will pay £2000. I'm so, so, so sorry. It wasn't his fault.'

Image credits: lynsey_36

And he says to me, 'OK, calm down, drama queen. We didn't sack him, but we had to give him training because this has happened before and he was told when someone orders that cocktail to make sure they know it is £1890.' So after that, we actually sat with the manager and enjoyed drinks with him and his family and it turned out to be a really great New Year's. But I will forever check the price of cocktails from now on.

You can hear the full story right here

Cocktail prices have soared in recent years, alongside food prices

Lynsey shared in her video that she was in London celebrating New Year’s at a 5 star hotel when this mishap occurred, so it’s completely understandable that she might not have been paying attention to tabs as closely as she normally would. If she had already enjoyed a couple of drinks or was simply embracing her holiday mood, she might not have felt the need to confirm the price with the bartender. Who expects a cocktail to cost more than their rent anyway?

While even paying £18.90 for a cocktail might seem over the top, this price is not extremely out of the ordinary in London. According to ECA International, London is the fourth most expensive city in the world to live in, behind only New York, Hong Kong and Geneva. Because of this, it’s going to be difficult to find a cheap cocktail anywhere in the city, let alone at a 5 star hotel.

According to Bon Appétit, cocktail prices have been on the rise everywhere recently, and the $20 drink isn’t going anywhere. The National Restaurant Association reports that menu prices have seen a 5.4% uptick between October 2022 and October 2023, meaning that these prices have risen even faster than grocery store prices.

Many restaurants even make a significant portion of their profits from alcohol

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

As far as why cocktails are so expensive, it can be difficult to pinpoint a reason. But Food Republic puts part of the blame on “the vibe economy.” The idea that we don’t want to simply go out for a drink, but rather an experience, might be part of the reason prices have skyrocketed. Drinks must be Instagram or TikTok worthy, and it’s best if they have complicated recipes with many ingredients.

But as we all know, the idea of drinks being more expensive than they need to be isn’t new. We’ve seen it with coffee shops, bars and restaurants for a long time. According to Mashed, bars often charge the cost of an entire bottle for only one glass of wine, to ensure that they don’t lose any money on the bottle even if no one else orders it. Plus, wine and spirits are how steakhouses make 80% of their gross profit, rather than on food.

When it comes to luxury cocktails, such as the one that Lynsey accidentally ordered at her hotel, it’s no surprise that not everyone can order one. But for some reason, these drinks have been on the rise in recent years. Slate published an article dissecting “the rise of the four-figure cocktail,” and they explain that these are both a way to get publicity and a way for customers to flaunt their wealth or status.

Luxury cocktails can now be found all over the world, but affordable options are just as delicious

Image credits: DeeJay Sanks SA (not the actual photo)

At the moment, alcohol (or money-spending) enthusiasts can purchase a $18,963.82 Diamonds Are Forever Martini from the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo, a $12,040 Winston from Club 23 in Melbourne, or a $10,000 Diamond is Forever Martini from Uncorked in New York City. But are these drinks worth it?

Bobby Heugel, the owner of Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston, doesn’t think so. “Cocktails are meant to be accessible moments of fun,” Heugel told Slate. “If you think about a cocktail, everything about it expires quickly: It doesn’t maintain its temperature, it separates, the ice melts. It exists in a moment of brevity where we enjoy concentrated flavors we don’t find in wine, beer, or straight-up spirits.”

We would love to hear your thoughts on Lynsey’s video in the comments below, pandas. What would you do if you accidentally ordered a $2,300 cocktail? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing how silly expensive meals and drinks can be, look no further than right here!