Cheap Drunk #4: Free Booze

There's cheap wine, there's your flask and then there is free booze which, if you can afford the metrocard, tops the cake in my book. It also affords a great opportunity to get out of your shack and meet up with other Hobos and hob nob with the gentry, ie: network.

Mackey just alerted me to this article from the New York Times:

Myopenbar.com has been around since 2005 but is now attracting more listings, promotions and readers than ever, despite — or perhaps because of — the tanking economy and shrinking advertising dollars and liquor sales at bars. The site’s founders, Seva Granik and Jason Fried, said that more bars and restaurants are clamoring to get their events listed, eager to drive customers through the door. And, to no one’s surprise, demand for free drinks is skyrocketing. (Liquor sales are considered recession-proof, though one recent study by the Nielsen Company suggests that while sales at liquor stores have increased, people are going out to nightclubs and bars far less frequently.)

Cheap Drunk #3: The Flask is your friend

Its unavoidable that you'll have to occasionally hit a bar with your buds and aside from making sure that there is a convenient happy hour, the other thing you can do to ensure you get a healthy buzz on without emptying your wallet is to bring a flask. Now, as an occasional bartender I must frown on drinking your own hooch at any establishment, but as a hobo, your funds are tight and its not like you'll be laying down 8 bucks for a shot of whiskey anyways so it is acceptable as long as you are buying a pint of beer and tipping well.
As Doc pointed out, 1.5 liters of Philadelphia whiskey is just shy of 16 bucks. That's a lot of booze for what would have cost ya for only two shots. That's what I like to call bar math.

Cheap Drunk #2: Ghetto Chard

New Year's Eve is a time for revelry, and consumption of mass quantities. As a hobo you can't exactly afford to go on a bender at the local bar, but you can appear to be mr money bags when you show up with 3 bottles of Tisdale Chardonnay at your friend's party. Sterling Grapes and Grains on 5th ave in Park Slope offers up this ghetto chard for the rock bottom price of 10.99 for 3 bottles. At that price, after you've had your first glass, the other 2 and 2/3 bottles are essentially free. Its like being paid to drink! And with the generous offer of 3 bottles of wine that you bring to any party, no one will give you a 2nd glance as you move on to the more expensive booze and champagne.

Tisdale, putting "Tis" in "Tis the Season" for years. I promise, tis not the stuff of hangovers.

Cheap Drunk - #1

Welcome To Cheap Drunk, a new ongoing and frankly, long overdue, feature here at the BHT, where all of our contributers will sound off on that most essential aspect of the Hobo lifestyle... how to dull the pain with alcohol.

With Cheap Drunk we'll deal with various economically-viable sources of alcohol, tips on who has the best Brooklyn happy hours and specials, where to find discount liquor stores, booze and drink reviews, and various other aspects of the fine art of getting tanked.

Today my Hobo Stroll took me in search of supplies for my shack. I'd earned a couple of bucks as a participant in a focus group last night and was flush with coin. Remember, when you do manage to get paid for something this is the optimal time to go buy something in bulk. Everything is cheaper and it's rare that you'll have enough money to take advantage of the concept. Strike while the iron is hot! But I digress.

I needed to obtain representatives of the three staples of drinking: Booze, Wine and Beer. In this venture as in future editions of Cheap Drunk, I was looking for the three standards: Philadelphia Whiskey ("It's Not That bad") in the big-ass size, a Large 1.5 litre bottle of red wine, and a six pack of cheap beer (fyi Coors is NEVER an option)

Today's destination was the discount liquor store inside the Pathmark down by the Lowes Home Center. I don't even know what you'd call this neighborhood... Google charitably calls it Park Slope, The official Pathmark website refers to this as the "Gowanus Pathmark". Do those word even make sense? Am I marking the Gowanus Path ? But I digress again...

Anyways. This rather depressing little shopping center is actually worth the stroll, as this litle known liquor store is chock full of reasonably priced (for New York) Alcohlic goodies.

Big Ass Philadelphia= $15.56
Big Red Wine ( Frontera Cabernet/ Merlot= $6.49

In my excitement I neglected to visit the Pathmark itself for beer. So on the way shackward I swung by the 9th Street Steve's C-Townon the Park Slope border for a 6 pack of Natural Ice, forgoing the 12pack in favor of eating.

Natural Ice 6pack= $3.59 + 30¢ can deposit
Natural Ice 12pack= $7.19 + 60¢ can deposit