Planning to ring in the New Year with a glass of bubbly, a vodka martini or maybe just a Bud Light? Whether you’re looking for some booze to bring to the party or are hosting one yourself, it’s always smart to shop for the lowest price.
To help you find the best deals, we looked everywhere from big chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to neighborhood liquor shops in New York City to find out how big of a difference it makes where you buy your booze. We also looked online for deals and learned that the shipping costs can erase most savings unless you buy in bulk—plus many online stores don’t ship everywhere in the US or even everything they sell in their physical stores.
Videos by VICE
So who had the best prices? For one-stop shopping our pick is Costco and its adjacent liquor store, Brooklyn Liquors, in Brooklyn (since you can’t buy hard alcohol in grocery stores in the state). But we also found great deals on beer at Target and bubbly at Trader Joe’s.
When in doubt, always opt for the larger bottle or higher number of cans or bottles packaged together for the lowest price per volume. If you’re buying in bulk, always ask for a discount. Wine shops typically offer 10 percent off when you buy a case, for example.
Here are the prices we found for seven different kinds of booze:
Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne (750 milliliters)

Bottle Shoppe (Brooklyn): $66
Beekman Liquor (Manhattan): $63
Quality Liquor Store (online and in San Diego, California): $60
Mitchell’s Wine & Liquors (Manhattan): $53
Whole Foods wine store (Manhattan): $50
BQE Wine & Liquors (Brooklyn): $46
Costco/Brooklyn Liquors: $43 (with ice jacket)
Best deal: Trader Joe’s Wine Shop: $42
Ketel One Vodka (one liter)

Beekman Liquor (Manhattan): $44
Bottle Shoppe (Brooklyn): $42
Mitchell’s Wine & Liquors (Manhattan): $35
BQE Wine & Liquors (Brooklyn): $32
Best deal: Costco/Brooklyn Liquors: $30
Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (one liter)

Mitchell’s Wine & Liquors (Manhattan): $37
BQE Wine & Liquors (Brooklyn): $32
Best deal: Costco/Brooklyn Liquors: $29
Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur (750 milliliters)

Beekman Liquor (Manhattan): $43
Bottle Shoppe (Brooklyn): $41
Mitchell’s Wine & Liquors (Manhattan): $31
BQE Wine & Liquors (Brooklyn): $28
Best deal: Quality Liquor Store (online and in San Diego, California): $23
Harpoon ‘Tis the Seasonal Beer (12-pack bottles)

Target (Manhattan): $18
Pioneer (Manhattan): $17
Best deal: Costco: $28 for a 24-pack, which works out to $14 for 12 bottles
Harpoon IPA Beer (six-pack bottles)

Whole Foods (Brooklyn): $11
Target (Manhattan): $10
Best deal: Trader Joe’s (Manhattan): $9
Bud Light (12-pack cans)

Brooklyn Deli: $15
Whole Foods (Brooklyn): $14
Best deal: Target (Manhattan): $11
More
From VICE
-

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images -

(Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) -

Via VICE
