​​’Have You Called The Police Yet?’: Dallas Man Orders An $18 Espresso Martini. Is The Way It Comes A ‘Recession Indicator’?

Cocktails have gotten expensive. What used to cost $8 or $10 a few years ago now routinely runs $15, $18, or even $20 at many restaurants and bars.

With prices climbing that high, diners expect their drinks to deliver—not just in taste, but in presentation and quality. After all, when you’re shelling out nearly $20 for a single cocktail, you want to make sure it’s worth the bang for your buck.

So when a Dallas man ordered an $18 espresso martini, and it arrived like this, he had questions.

Did They Really Use An Airplane Cup?

In a trending video with more than 28,000 views, content creator Trey Stewart (@treyastewart) shared his disappointment after ordering an espresso martini at Hero, a Dallas restaurant.

The drink arrived in what appears to be a small plastic cup similar to those used for beverages on airplanes.

“I’m sorry. I’m at Hero in Dallas, and they just brought me my espresso martini in a plastic airplane cup,” he says. He shows the drink, which is in a cup that does give flashbacks to flight delays and tiny snacks.

“Yeah. This is $18. It was $18,” Stewart says in disbelief.

In the video, Stewart shows his final receipt, and the espresso martini was in fact $18. He also paid $18 for a chicken bowl, $14 for a strawberry and soda, and $16 for cheese fries.

Despite his initial shock at the presentation, Stewart maintains a sense of humor about the situation.

“Listen, it’s still gets the job done tho,” he wrote in the caption.

The Rise Of The $20 Cocktail

The expensive cocktail isn’t a new phenomenon. Just a few years ago, Bon Appétit reported that menu and drink prices at restaurants were trending sharply higher. An $18 martini in Brooklyn or a $27 cocktail at upscale lounges had already become the norm rather than the exception.

The price increases weren’t just about profits; the cost of alcohol itself had spiked, eating into the already tight margins many bars operate on. Bartenders reported that higher prices were cutting into their tips and causing patrons to order less.

The pricing situation has only intensified since then. A recent InsideHook article noted that $15 is now considered a bargain for cocktails, with prices of $22 to $24 feeling increasingly normal at many establishments.

Miller points out that COVID-era damage to hospitality venues, rising rent costs, and inflation have all contributed to the price creep. But he questions whether some venues are charging exorbitantly simply because they can, potentially pricing out younger adults who might otherwise develop an appreciation for craft cocktails.

When customers pay premium prices for cocktails, they’re often factoring in what some call the “Vibes Surcharge”—aka, the experience, atmosphere, and quality of service that comes with drinking at a good bar.

But when an $18 drink arrives in a plastic cup, that’s where the value proposition starts to break down.

Commenters React

“Have you called the police yet?” a top comment read.

“Noooo for $18 the least they could do is a martini glass,” a person said.

“Recession indicator,” another wrote.

“So odds are they are busy,busy. Glassware is less expensive and used as much as possible….technically this cup is an upgrade because it costs more to use disposable cups over glasses that can be washed over and over…” a comment reasoned.

BroBible reached out to Stewart via TikTok direct message and comment and to Hero via email and Instagram direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.