Get Drunk for $20
By Rebecca Behan, New York
My mission: Get beyond the New York norm of bottle service and $13 cocktails and get totally wasted for as little money as possible. Luckily for my alcohol-fueled night (and hopefully your future ones), all it took was one $20 bill and a friend to help soak up the alcohol.
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151
151 Rivington St, New York, NY
I eased into the night gently at this laid-back basement bar in the Lower East Side. The two-for-one happy hour lasts until 10pm, so you’ll be out the door like me with a two-for-one bottled beer buzz for a cool $5. -
St. Jerome's
155 Rivington St, New York, NY
When happy hour at 151 wound down, I still had $15 in my pocket. So, I ditched the growing crowd and hopped two doors down to this semi-claustrophobic bar for $2 Bud and Bud Lites until midnight. The barkeeps deftly attended to my budget, and a bottle of Bud hit my outstretched palm precisely as it should: ice cold. -
Cooper 35
35 Cooper Square, New York, NY
After several hours of drinking, not only is more drinking in order, so is snacking. Fortunately, the drinks come cheap all night long at this East Village pub and the complimentary chips and salsa satisfy the belly. My $4 cocktail took the edge off both the raucous bar-goers and the thundering speakers--and most importantly, it arrived in a pint glass with an extra-wide straw. -
Continental
25 3rd Ave, New York, NY
Next, I trouped three blocks north to this insanely cheap (and hence popular) bar off St. Mark's Place. I put $5 of my remaining $9 to good use by pooling funds with a friend and splitting five shots for $10. After four drinks and some shots--we chose tequila, but the deal applies to any type of shot you choose--hopping on the L train sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? -
Turkey's Nest
94 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Just $4 left--enough to share one last gigantic drink with a compatriot in Williamsburg. We joined the regulars and raised a 32-ounce Styrofoam cup of Bud Light for $3.50. If you’re feeling frisky, you can ask for a lid and two straws and wander McCarren Park in an attempt to walk-off that $20 hangover.
