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Tourist shocked by bill after accidentally ordering £1,890 cocktail

The drink was served at a five-star hotel in London

Chris Wilson
Saturday 18 November 2023 12:15 GMT
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A tourist said she was left in shock after accidentally ordering a cocktail from her hotel bar that cost £1,890.

In a video uploaded to TikTok, the woman, who goes by Lynsey on the popular video sharing platform, recounted the ordeal that happened “just before New Year”.

After returning to her London hotel – the name of which is undisclosed – “a little bit tipsy”, she ordered a cocktail which was called 1890. “I thought the cost of it was £18.90,” she said.

Replying to a comment asking what happened next, Lynsey uploaded another video, which has garnered more than 1.5 million views at the time of writing, in which she says that when she discovered the cocktail was nearly £2,000, she showed her husband the receipt and he “left the bar laughing”.

“I said to the guy behind the bar, ‘look, I’m sorry, I had no idea this was £1,890’. He called his manager over, the manager was so discreet and so wonderful, he was like ‘look, it’s fine, don’t worry about it, go up to your room, enjoy the rest of your stay, and we’ll sort this out.’

“This was the first of a five-night stay at this hotel. If they ask me to pay the £2,000 for this cocktail I m going to have an absolute heart attack, so I avoided the bar like the plague.”

Later on, during New Year’s Eve, Lynsey and her sister returned to the bar and saw the manager, who “put his arms out” and said “’oh, it’s the girl that made us open the Cristal’”.

“I said, ‘I am so terribly sorry, it was a genuine mistake’.”

Lynsey asked what had happened to the bartender, because he had been “nervous”.

“He said, ‘oh, I sacked him’, so I burst into tears. I said, ‘it’s not worth the guy’s job, I will pay the £2,000.’”

In response, the manager told Lynsey to “calm down”, adding that he’d been joking; the bartender kept his job, but was given further training.

“He was told to make sure they [customers] know it’s £1,890,” added Lynsey.

“After that, we actually sat with the manager and enjoyed drinks with him and his family, and it turned out to be a really great New Year.

“But I will forever check the prices of cocktails from now on.”

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