Australians have called for a pub boycott after a restaurant revealed they paid $42.50 for two pints of ginger ale at their local bar.
The Melbourne restaurant shared its frustration on Reddit and chose not to name the establishment.
One photograph showed two glasses of ginger ale; It is not clear if they were alcoholics.
Some Australians explained that the huge price could be because it contained alcohol.
“It would have to be because it’s cloudy and not like a standard looking ginger ale,” one wrote.
—I assume it will be a craft ginger ale? Craft beer can vary in price and $20 for a pint isn’t exactly out of the ordinary. By saying it better be fucking good!’
Some claimed the drink was mislabeled.
“There is no alcoholic ginger ale, only ginger beer has the alcoholic version,” one noted.
Another thought the high price could be explained by the alcohol content.
“Ginger beer is brewed the same way beer is taxed,” they wrote.
“Those like Matsos or Brookvale, which are based on spirits, are taxed like RTDs, so the price would be the equivalent of buying half a liter of Smirnoff ice.”
A Reddit user posted what he said were two pints of ginger ale costing $42.20 at a Melbourne pub.
“You can get a keg of beer for $200, but a keg of ginger beer can cost more than $500.”
Several people suggested the only solution to rising prices was to refuse to pay and called on Australians to stop wasting their money.
‘Wtf, seriously wtf… where did you go that charges so much? OMG I would return it and say no thanks,” one wrote.
‘I’ve turned down pints at this price before. I’m asking it now,” another agreed.
‘Refusing is easy. Just a courtesy, on second thought, no thanks.
The idea was met with approval.
‘Yes, just refuse. And refuse. And then don’t go out. There has to be a change for prices to go down,’ said one response.
“We need some kind of mass ‘refuse and leave if it’s over $15’ movement,” another person suggested.
No matter how exorbitant the price was, some Reddit users claimed to have consumed even more expensive drinks.
“I went to a club on the weekend and they charged me $56 for 2 raspberries and vodka,” said one.
A second said the pub owners were not to blame.
“The Australian government’s tax on alcohol is crazy,” he said.
‘Pubs, bars and restaurants are not thriving at the moment. There are many who are trying to sell or simply close their doors. Small business in Australia is tough.
‘If you pay more and therefore go out less, you want the whole experience to be fantastic. Service, drinks, food and vibes.
“I think things will recover, but it has been a very difficult few years for those who got through Covid and are still facing difficult times.”