Is it cheaper to drink over here?

I wish I knew where in NY you went for your drinks!!

Yeah seriously, I never knew any bars in NYC that would give free drinks as a regular practice!

If you are a regular in a neighborhood dive out of the center of town, the comping of drinks is fairly frequent in non-chain bars. In Staten Island, they do fight to keep you in the dive and keep coming back. It was every third drink free there just last month.

I'm over here 2+ years. I love it.

And at these prices, I should.

Some of the nicer hotels in London offer great happy hour deals with giant coctails at USA prices. I'll ask the mate the name and location of one off Oxford Street that was steller.

And an absolute rule: Never, ever order a marguerita in one any of the awful restaurants trying to pass for 'mexican' over here. It's just a heartbreak. That's a home-drink. The limes from Waitrose are quite nice, and a bottle of Cointreu lasts forever and stands in well for the triple sec. If someone's coming over to visit, request a gift of something other than Sauza or Cuevo.

Triple sec can be found here.  I use them in my 'ritas.  BTW, I've had some pretty shite 'ritas in the US too.  Just depends upon how good the bar/restaurant is.  Loads of them appear to like the ease of pre-mix rather than making their own with lime juice and simple syrup.

Triple sec can be found here. I use them in my 'ritas. BTW, I've had some pretty shite 'ritas in the US too. Just depends upon how good the bar/restaurant is. Loads of them appear to like the ease of pre-mix rather than making their own with lime juice and simple syrup.

Man, I can vouch that Cait is a woman who knows her 'ritas.   

*hic*

Yes, she apparently does.

I prefer a marguerita done like a martini:

Something good in the 100% agave range like Patron or Tres Generations

A mere float of triple sec.

A half a lime.

A tiny bit of syrup.

No need for mango-flavoring or frozen gluck.

Just sip slowly and enjoy.

Man, I can vouch that Cait is a woman who knows her 'ritas.   

Add me to that list!

Can't wait to be able to have another one..

Got the tequila all ready!

I know there will be purists who will turn their nose up at this suggestion, but Minute Maid Lime-aid is a rather good substitute if you don't have time to make your own from scratch.  After all, Lime-aid is nothing more than sugar, water and lime juice.

....And if I'm getting fetishisistic about it, maybe cut up the lime into little pieces and then grind it in a morter an pedstal to really get the full fragrant flavor of the peel into it.

You'll want to be making a pitcher to bother, though.

'Used the minute maid-solution when I lived in Japan where limes were about $3 each. They had a korean spirit called Shoju that passably tastes like tequilla if you gave it the benifet of the doubt.

I think some things are definitely cheaper in the UK - wine and beer, mostly.  This is in stores.  In a bar, beer is definitely cheaper, and in some places spirits & wine are, too.  Restaurant wine is similarly priced, but it's hard to compare a place like Wetherspoon's to an American bar, because almost EVERYthing is dirt-cheap in 'Spoons.

I would say drinks local to where I live - Texas (only at the moment) - ARE cheaper local (obviously) than in the UK, but that's going to be true of any consumable in any location.

In America, barmen gives free drinks to customers, in the UK it's customers that give free drinks to the barmen!  I think the second is in lieu of tips.  If the customer feels the barman deserves a 'tip' as such, buying them a drink is a way of doing it.  (and I don't know about other places, but if we got bought several drinks, we might actually only have one and pocket the money for the rest...slightly underhanded, but oh well!)

Man, I can vouch that Cait is a woman who knows her 'ritas.   

Cait have you ever tried a margeurita in Mexico?  I've been to quite a few cities down there and all the ritas are the same.  The booze down there is so much cheaper than the flavouring so they are really strong!  I was on the floor after one and I'm usually not a cheap date. 

No, Lynzie, I haven't.  I would like to try them, tho!  *hic*

Are 'margueritas' the same as 'margaritas'?

did someone say alcohol? *hic*