The Nation's Capital (Almost) of Expensive Beer

We'd cry into our drinks, but we can't afford to.

By CARISSA DIMARGO

Updated 3:08 PM EST, Thu, Oct 22, 2009

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Next up in "Depressing News": D.C. has the second-highest drink prices in the country, behind only New York (of course). A domestic beer costs about $3.22 in Oklahoma City, but around $4.13 in the District. We know you're crying into your pint glasses about that 91 cents you're seemingly throwing down the proverbial drain (of the wet bar).

An Oct. 20 Reuters article reports that bar beverage prices are up about 2 percent on average from last year -- which is still better than the 2008 vs. 2007 figures, which had prices increasing 5 percent.

For once, maybe, the recession is working with us instead of against us.

Says the article:

Drink prices have increased more than food, which was also the case in the 2008 study. "We've all heard the anecdotes that bar business is impacted less in a down economy, and the findings bear this out," [Leslie] Kerr [who's president of pricing film Intelliprice] said.

"This year, once again, the price change in bar beverages is significantly more than that for food. The most expensive drink in the study, a top-shelf margarita, was the only one whose price was unchanged."

So sure, we could have cheap beer, but then we'd have to be in Oklahoma. And then we'd have to drink away our depression over being in Oklahoma. And that just seems like it'd be counter-productive somehow.