ST. LOUIS _ After a local sporting event, I repaired to a nearby saloon with a friend who, like me, enjoys the occasional whiskey.
We went to this particular Central West End establishment because it is famous for its vast selection of brown spirits. You could even say it is known as a whiskey house.
I ordered us each a Caribou Crossing, a Canadian whiskey that comes highly recommended by bartenders who have had it (frankly, I was a little disappointed, but that is a different story).
At my friend's urging, I also tried a Pikesville Rye. This one had more bite and bigger, more forceful flavors. But that is a different story, too.
Here's the story: I was handed my bill and was reaching for my wallet when I saw the total.
Say what, now?
We had three drinks between us, each of them a carefully measured 2 { ounces. And the bill came out to $69.
I knew the high-end Caribou Crossings were expensive. They are $17 apiece, a fact clearly indicated on the menu. But I was willing to pay it because it was a special occasion to be drinking with my friend, and besides, he had sprung for the frozen custard we gave to the participating athletes at the day's sporting event (Go, Maroons!).
Two $17 drinks is $34. Even after a couple of glasses, I knew that meant the Pikesville Rye had to cost $35.
For one single 2 {-ounce glass.
I was floored. At the same time, I began to understand why Pikesville Rye is not listed on the otherwise extensive menu.
Some of your fancier, single-malt scotches will easily go for $35 a glass, or even more. That's one reason I don't usually drink scotch.
But rye is a humble spirit. It's a little harsh. It's what every down-and-out detective or newspaper man in every movie from the 1930s and 1940s would order at the bar after he was jilted by his girlfriend. Sometimes, the girlfriend would order it, too.
It is not, in other words, the sort of thing that typically costs $35 per drink. Even at 2 { ounces, that comes to $7 per tablespoon. That's better than $2.30 for each teaspoon of rye.
I understand the economics of bars. I know how mark-ups work. Bar owners need to make a living, and they need to pay their employees. Rent isn't free, and neither is electricity.
Even a dive bar will mark up their booze by three or four times its cost. By the time they have finished it, customers will have paid $100 for a bottle that cost the owners $25.
Fancy whiskey houses in high-rent districts make their money by starting with higher-priced alcohol.
For instance, you can buy a bottle of the Caribou Crossing I had for $48 at Total Wine & More. If a 2 {-ounce pour at the bar costs $17, that means the bar is enjoying a not unreasonable mark-up of a little more than 3 { times its cost.
The Pikesville Rye, though I'm not sure I've mentioned it enough, cost me thirty-five dollars. To my mind, that means a bottle ought to cost at least a hundred bucks, retail.
Nope. You can pick it up at the Wine and Cheese Place for $44. That's a mark-up for the bar of eight times the retail cost.
Let us review. A bottle of Pikesville Rye, which costs $35 for a single drink at Gamlin, is actually cheaper than a bottle of Caribou Crossing, which costs $17 per drink.
You can buy a pretty good bottle of whiskey for less than $17. You can buy a bottle of very good whiskey for less than $35.
Next time, that's what I'll do.
