In the same way that supermarkets display the price per 100g of product on the labels on their shelves, bars and pubs should be mandated to publish a list showing the price per unit of alcohol contained in the drinks they serve. This would enable those on a budget to drink the beverage that will get them most drunk most cheaply. And by improving the information available to consumers will increase price competition between drinking establishments.
-- jamieb, Oct 06 2003

Moonshine http://morticom.com/recipeentry001.htm
[Shz, Oct 17 2004]

alcohol units, discussed http://www.medicoun...uk/images/units.gif
picture showing equivalents. [neilp, Oct 17 2004]

more on alcohol units http://www.medicoun...ndbook/hb_facts.htm
slightly more detail [neilp, Oct 17 2004]

Exhibition Cider at the Coronation Tap http://www.britishp...results:Bristol:160
[jonthegeologist, Oct 17 2004]

I think most alkies are well aware that hard cider gives the biggest bang for the buck.
-- DrCurry, Oct 06 2003


Is that true, [DrC]?
-- bristolz, Oct 06 2003


If you find yourself a good farmhouse, it can go up to 20% and beyond, but most are between 5.5 and 12.

I think any spirit would probably give more 'bang for the buck" (or pound for your pound, here) - I'm going for white overproof rum. Not that it would taste as nice, but probably give more acohol for your money.
-- yamahito, Oct 06 2003


homemade sloe gin. hic
-- po, Oct 06 2003


Even using the tougher champagne yeast the maximum is about 16% alcohol before the yeast dies. The 20% and higher stuff must be fortified.

Everclear, at 95%, or 190 proof, sells for $16.73 per 750ml bottle. That's about 2.11¢ per ml of pure ethyl alcohol.
-- bristolz, Oct 06 2003


Hehe! <link>
-- Shz, Oct 06 2003


I think there's been some confusion here, this isn't a question of the % alcohol by volume e.g. 5% for lager, 10% for wine 40% for spirits, it's a question of price per unit alchohol. In the UK we compare drinks by describing the number of units of alcohol (10ml of 'pure' alcohol are in a drink), this apparently makes it easier for people to keep a track of their drinking more easily. (see link). [jamieb]'s plan is a metric whereby we look at the cost per unit of alcohol in a drink.

e.g. 1 pint of Stella = 2.3 units of alcohol and £2.90 thus [jb]'s metric would be £1.26 per unit

1 glass of wine = 1 unit of alcohol and £3.40 thus [jb]'s metric would be £3.40 per unit

the consumer therefore has a much better idea of what to drink (or avoid) as the evening takes them.
-- neilp, Oct 07 2003


oh well in that case.... it's still a boring idea
-- stapler, Oct 07 2003


antifreeze
-- hippo, Oct 07 2003


I think there should also be some kind of quotient to take into account the effect of different drinks. Champagne may not be the most alcoholic of drinks but it does make me get drunk quicker glass for glass than wine.
-- hazel, Oct 07 2003


I propose that it's something to do with the rate of increase in alcohol in the blood stream. I further propose a new branch of science : bioalcochemokinometrics to study the effect.
-- neilp, Oct 07 2003


extrapolating [neilp]'s metric, I think that [Dr Curry] is right in his assumption that cider packs the biggest punch

As a West Country dweller, we know a thing or two about cider and I propose that Exhibition Cider at the Coronation Tap [see link] is a dangerous option.

abv 8.4%, thus a pint holds 3.86 units of alcohol. Yours for £2.40 or ... just 62p per unit. Jeez.

How about a halfbakery outing to test this out?
-- jonthegeologist, Oct 07 2003


Yeah, woohoo, lets encourage binge drinking... fishbone.
-- madradish, Oct 07 2003


[madradish], this would also allow people to avoid such drinks.
-- neilp, Oct 07 2003


There's a lot of buck-banging going on here.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 07 2003


Spot on [neilp], the last thing I would want to do would be encourage excessive drinking. I abhor such behaviour, as do we all I'm sure. The alcoeconomy rating simply lets people consume the same, sensible amount of alcohol for less money.

Having said that, five pints of Exhibition Cider sounds like an exciting and bargainous start to an evening.
-- jamieb, Oct 07 2003


I can assure you [jamieb] that five pints of Exhibition is more likely to be an end, rather than a beginning of an evening.
-- neilp, Oct 07 2003


Five pints? Blimey. I've never seen *anyone* drink five pints of Exhibition.
-- hazel, Oct 07 2003


Sounds like a good one to me... Although for those cider fans, i'd say a 4L bag of white wine (best drunk through hose and funnel) for $10 australian dollars is the best way to bang your buck and probably someone very ugly. And the best thing is, being in bag form, you can sneak one of these puppies into your average pub, club or sporting event.
-- MrJif, Oct 07 2003


bristolz: it's true in Britain, at least.
-- DrCurry, Oct 07 2003


[hazel] I've seen someone (Alex) drink 13 halves.
-- neilp, Oct 15 2003


I think drunkenness is too difficult to quantify. As stated, champagne gets you drunker glass-by-glass than wine (probably because of the carbonation--remember "beer before liquor, never been sicker"--that's about the effects of the carbonation from beer making the alcohol in the liquor kick in faster). Knowing which alcoholic drink will get you drunk fastest and cheapest is a matter of experience. For example, the alc/vol is relatively the same I believe, but IME whiskey will get me drunker than vodka which will get me drunker than gin. And my drunkenness will also vary based on the setting I'm drinking in. If I'm partying in a dorm room, it doesn't take too many drinks to put me under the table. But if I'm playing Texas Hold-Em with my uncles and cousins, I'll drink beer all night and not get past buzzed.

Anyway, it's not tough to figure out which drinks are more economical based on alc/vol -- everclear, then 151, etc. I think this type of menu would be misleading, and even if it gave an accurate portrayal it would be bad for bar business, which I don't think is a good thing when you start looking at it on a societal scale.
-- disbomber, Apr 05 2005


//[hazel] I've seen someone (Alex) drink 13 halves.//

Fuck me that's an achievement and a scary one at that.
-- hazel, Apr 08 2005


<minor detour from topic via scenic route> I've never really understood why fizzy drinks supposedly get you drunk faster than equally alcoholic still ones (if they do). People arm-wave about the carbonation and the bubbles and stuff, but I can't see any plausible way for this to have an effect. Anyone know any research on this (apart from the obvious self-administered tests)? </mdftvsr>
-- Basepair, Apr 08 2005



random, halfbakery