#drinking free

Welcome to New York City, circa 2012. Population 8,300,000. Where south of Houston is the place to be, but the mere being there isn't cheap. Where a decent cocktail will run you at least $12 on a good night and a $40 plate at any restaurant worth being seen at spans the size of a tea saucer. What's a self-respecting 20-something to do?

This is my chronicle of scheming, dreaming, and fêting my way through Manhattan (and the occasional outer-buroughs) despite the curse of a hollow piggybank.

And to start, I'm going to let you in on some of my methods: the art of the free drink. 

Now, I know what you're probably thinking: anything in a push-up bra can score a free drink if she can twirl her hair around her fingers and endure 20 minutes of subpar conversation from whatever subpar schmuck that happens to be sitting nearby.

However, my methods do not involve enduring the company of lecherous men except as a last resort.

Method One: The Open Bar

Though it seems to many an urban legend, the open bar is alive and well, you just have to know where to source it. This method involves being hyper-plugged-in. Follow your favorite bars/clubs/venues on Twitter or Facebook to keep up-to-date on upcoming events.

Special events are where open bars tend to most commonly manifest themselves. I, for one, am partial to those at the Soho and TriBeCa Grand hotels (whose event listings you can find here), many of which feature open bars (check the specific descriptions for each event for mention of the fabled Open Bar). 

Come early. Be sure to read the fine-print on the flyers/e-vites, as many open bars occur early in the night to draw patrons in, in the hopes that they will be more inclined to spend once they are good and drunk and will be enjoying themselves too much to go anywhere else. Open bars often occur from 8-9pm or 9-10pm so punctuality is key in order to take full advantage.

Events that are sponsored by a certain brand of alcohol are the most ideal in the world of open bars, for these tend to remain in operation for the entirety of the night. (The aforementioned TriBeCa Grand Hotel's Church Bar often has events that feature open bars sponsored by Kanon Vodka or Bulldog Gin). Caution: oftentimes these bars are in a separate area in which you can only order cocktails with the sponsor's brand of alcohol in it. Be sure to order from these drink stations as ordering from the main bar will likely require you to pay full-price. 

The ritzier/higher-profile the event, the higher the likelihood of there being an open bar, and the higher the quality and selection of that bar. Clearly, as attending ritzy events requires knowing people who can get you on the list, or organizing the event yourself/working the door, this is a more advanced technique for experienced partiers. Attempt at your own risk.

And one more note: If your pocket book can swing it, it is courteous to tip your bar tender when receiving a free drink at an open bar. Keeping your bartender happy is the key to future receipt of free drinks...but more about that later.

Method Two: Would you like some art with that drink?

As New York is one of the primary cultural hubs of the world, the city is rife with art gallery opening, and the requisitory make-shift bars that accompany these openings.

Chelsea (a neighborhood that stretches from about 20th-30th street from 8th Avenue to the West Side Highway) is undisputedly the crux of the New York art gallery scene. Thursday nights, for whatever reason, have become the agreed-upon night for major gallery openings. They tend to run from 6-8pm, and the wine, though ample, tends to run out sometime after 7pm, so we recommend coming straight from work and hopping from gallery to gallery. Artslant provides a pretty good listing of gallery openings, although as their listings are not all-encompassing, it doesn't hurt to pick a few starting points then just cruising the neighborhood for other openings. 

Alcohol supplies at gallery openings tend to take the form of a folding table with individuals who work at the gallery dishing out wine and sparking water into little plastic cups. The size of each pour is nominal, but you are allowed to come back and refill as much as you want until the wine runs out, which we highly recommend doing.

Furthermore, since Thursday is the new Friday, why not use gallery night to kick off the evening's pre-drink in style. It sure beats chugging beers on your fire escape.

Method Three: Know Thy Bartender

As noted above, there is nothing like a good relation with your local bartender to facilitate your free drink. Once you decide on a favorite watering hole, be sure to go frequently in order to acquire regular status. 

As method three does require some moderate flirting, it helps to pick the cutest bartender to develop your local repoire with. If said watering hole does not have any cute bartenders, it is clearly not worth its salt on the chicness-meter and we recommend going somewhere else. This is New York, every bar with even a hint of fabulousness will have attractive bartenders. 

Now, there is a good chance said bartender will have a girlfriend, especially if they are of sufficient cuteness to fit the above criteria, but if you are also sufficiently cute, they will likely be flattered and opt to live life on the wild side, treating you to free drinks in the name of an ego boost. Cute bartenders generally have inebriated girls flirting with them day and night, so do not be offended if you are not his one and only recipient of free drinks. Besides, when it comes down to it, who really wants to date someone in the hospitality industry? Never-the-less a go-to bartender can facilitate much free drinking at high-priced establishments and are a staple in the fabulous broke girl's rolodex.

If you follow these methods, you can likely have a night of glamorous debauchery that poses very little strain on your wallet. As a worst-case scenario, you can indeed, get fellow patrons to buy you a drink, however when this situation arises, never settle for the fat, unattractive, overly-old, poorly-dressed or sleazy.