Times Are Tough for NYC Party People

Unwinding has never felt so expensive

New Yorkers are thinking twice before they meet up for drinks. These days, that luxury is no longer appreciated.

People are growing more conscious of what a dollar is worth, so gone for many are the days of dropping $12 on a drink. Suddenly, the long-lived trend of overpriced drinks in New York seems absurd.

According to a recent Zagat survey, 38 percent of people said they were going to less expensive places, 34 percent reported they have become more aware of price and 27 percent said they were ordering fewer drinks. Shockingly, 56 percent of drinkers are going out less frequently than last year.

"These answers are enough to give a bartender a hangover," said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey.

It seems New Yorkers no longer need to be impressed with pricey exotic mixed drinks; they instead choose to stick with what they know is always good. About three-fourths of schoolnight drinkers prefer wine and beer, but 60 percent go for the hard liquor on the weekends.

Despite the decrease in nights out and the cloudy economic climate, many new hot spots have opened in the last year. Trendy clubs and bars are popping up in all five boroughs.

Perhaps the best approach to drink pricing can be found at the La Bolsa Stock Exchange Bar in Barcelona, where the costs of drinks are based on how high in demand it is. The more you look, the better you drink more you drink, the lower the price.

Then again, there will always be happy hour.

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