Ever wondered how bars set their beverage prices? It’s a mystery to me, but I think we may have found the most expensive martinis in all of Toronto, with the surliest service to boot.

Buoyed up after hearing Arianna Huffington speak at Advertising Week, two Tempo Toronto team members stopped off in the Lobby on Bloor Street just across from the ROM for a cocktail. It was crowded, noisy but full of communications types in good spirits, and the energy our side of the bar was excellent. We were in good company.

At the bar, “Hello! Two vodka martinis, straight up, Grey Goose please.”  (Note how polite we are.)

“Belvedere.” (OK, that’s not a sentence, but I assumed she meant “I am sorry, we don’t have Grey Goose, would Belvedere be OK?”)

“That’s fine, thank you. And lots of olives, please.”

I’ll gloss over the sloppy service, the flinging of liquor into glasses, the splashes onto my clothes, the thimbleful of vodka in each glass. No matter that one drink had olives thrown into it and the other a tiny shard of lemon (no one asked for a ‘twist’). I didn’t react to the rudeness – after all, they were busy, and I’m understanding. We also talked ourselves into thinking that the large size of the glass made the so-called “2oz” martini look smaller.

Then the bill came.

$42. We mentioned that we were buying two drinks, not drinks for a group. “Yes, that’s $42. And I don’t decide the prices here,” was the rude retort.

Forty two dollars for a drink so small that if we hadn’t drunk it quickly, it likely would have evaporated. I’m not averse to paying premium pricing for premium brands, but it’s reasonable to receive commensurate quality, quantity and level of service.

Yorkville prices? … I don’t think so. Last time we had cocktails at the Four Seasons the libation was generous, the service was oustanding, and the price was fair.

Related posts:

1. Tasting notes on Tempo Toronto’s 4 favourite gins