Five-figure cocktails: The Algonquin's $10,000 "proposal martini" isn't the only one

We were amused and intrigued last week when we saw this story about a $10,000 “proposal martini” available at the Algonquin Hotel’s Blue Bar, especially in light of the Great Recession. A little digging of our own -- investigative, not gold -- turned up a couple of interesting footnotes. First, that the Algonquin's is not the only absurdly extravagant cocktail out there. (Not even close: We found at least two more drinks that cost as much as a Nissan.) And second, that people have actually purchased these drinks. In fact, according to Alex Aubry, Food and Beverage Director at the Algonquin, six men used the bar's "Martini on the Rock" to pop the question in 2005, the year the hotel debuted the cocktail. Since then, that figure has fallen to two or three per year, perhaps because of the economy.


Or perhaps because the men of the world blew all their cash in Vegas. On drinks. According to this list of the most expensive drinks in Las Vegas, there are at least nine places in Sin City to drop $100 or more on a single cocktail. And because this is Vegas, land of the hotel-casino, all but one of the drinks on the list can be found at hotel bars. The "winner"? The $3,000 "Menage a Trois" at the Wynn's Tryst nightclub, a modest little concoction of Cristal Rosé, Hennessy Ellipse, and Grand Marnier Cent-cinquantenaire, garnished with 23-carat gold flakes, liquid gold syrup, and a gold straw studded with a 9-point diamond (yours to keep afterwards, if you concern yourself with such trifles).


But wait. That list is out of date. The "Menage" has since been eclipsed by a drink at the Wynn's sister property -- by $7,000. Which makes two $10,000 cocktails sold at hotel bars we've been to. And here's the best part: There's a third one out there that's even more expensive. Read on to find out what it is. And then be thankful your wife was (presumably) easier to impress.