During Three Sheets and Drinking Made Easy we have come across many elaborate drinks, limited edition spirits, and high-priced libations. These drinks are usually treated with high esteem and carry with them some sort of history, legacy, or special treatment. In other words, the price for these drinks are created due to hype, not what you are actually getting. Here are just a few examples of some ridiculously expensive cocktails.
The Kentucky Derby Mint Julep-$1000
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world. Every year men and women (big hats and all) gather together to enjoy a day of racing. The Mint Julep, has been the official drink of the event for years. Though this year a very special mint julep was produced that cost $1,000. What is special about this cocktail? Well, the bourbon is a limited edition batch created by Woodford Reserve specifically for this the 75th anniversary of the mint julep as the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Only 75 of these mint juleps will be made with 10 of which being special “Prestige” cups. The normal cups ($1,000) are made with sterling silver and hand-engraved with a racing scene while the 10 Prestige cups are gold plated with a diamond studded horseshoe (43 diamonds). All this aside you are getting a fancy cup and a mint julep, which like every other mint julep is made with bourbon, sugar syrup, mint and crushed ice. At least you get to keep the cup which should also fetch a pretty penny if you were so inclined, and the money raised from the drinks will go to charity to aid retired horses.
The “27.321”- $7,450
Dubai is home to the the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Known for its elegance and luxury, the Burj Khalifa has housed many a billionaire. Which means they are probably pretty good at creating excuses for their billionaires to drop major dough. One such excuse is the “27.321″ cocktail which cost 27.321 dirham ($7,450). The drink gets its name and price from the fact that the drink is available in the Skyview bar on the 23rd floor approximately 321 meters up. So why is it so expensive? Well the drink does feature a 55 year old Macallen whiskey into an 18 karat gold cup. Sounds nice right? Maybe not worth the 7 grand but still respectable…that is until they decide to add passion fruit sugar to the mix to defile a good drink by turning it into a foo-foo mutation.
Diamond Is Forever-$18,000
The Tokyo Ritz-Carlton has some brass. Get this, the Diamond Is Forever martini is vodka, lime juice, and a 1 karat diamond dropped into the mix. That is it. What is the vodka you may ask? Grey Goose. This is a prime example of how a drink or cocktail can be extremely inflated and hyped up just with a few marketing gimmicks, a name, and a price tag. By charging a ridiculous amount they are in fact creating prestige out of thin air. So far only two of these drinks have been purchased.
Though there are plenty of drinks and cocktails out there that deserve prestige and respect, it is important to know whether you are buying quality mixed with history or just a story with an inflated price.
