Sooo…. I got a lot of email last week, some from the proletariat who also bitched about cocktail prices rising faster than home prices, and some from others who said, well… They were obviously cranky pants who charge $12 for cocktails. (And to answer their various questions: Oh but I have, in excess of 30 knots, 15 years, and so?)Let me break it down for you. In simple arithmetic, I will buy an $8 cocktail, no problem. If it’s delicious and does it’s job, it won’t take much prodding by the bartender to get me to order another. But a $12 cocktail? I’ll only ever have one, no matter what, and it better sock it to me. (2 x $8) = 16 and ($16 – $12) = $4 Therefore, it is a far, far better thing you do, to charge less and sell more. Unless you happen to be living in a quantum universe where the economy is doing much better than it is in this one. And just for shits and giggles, here’s a look at the base, raw costs (not including exorbitant rent, payroll, insurance, etc.) of some popular cocktails:Basic Mojito: $0.85 for call rum + $0.30 for mint + $0.12 for lime juice + $0.09 for simple syrup and soda + too much of the bartender’s time + clean up of leafy bits

Cosmopolitan: $1.29 for call vodka + $0.61 for Cointreau + $0.09 for pomegranate juice + $0.08 for lime juiceMartini with Hendrick’s: $2.11 for gin + $0.14 for vermouth (yes, vermouth!)And that’s why I won’t pay $12 for a cocktail, or order shrimp when I go out. But boy do I spend money on lattes. So we all have our little lines in the sand.