Man left baffled at his bill for two cocktails from upscale celebrity hot spot
A reveller was left baffled after ordering two drinks at a trendy celeb cocktail bar, only to receive an eyewatering bill that "made no sense".
The customer and his flatmate had ordered two Negronis at Manchester's recently-opened Sexy Fish - famed for already being a favourite of Christine McGuinness and Corrie star Helen Flanagan - with the classic cocktails priced at £9.25 each. But the two were shocked when the bill came to £28.
The man, who did not want to be names, immediately questioned the staff about the discrepancy, who initially "seemed at a loss to explain it". He was then informed that the drinks were made with a "gin upgrade", which he claims he wasn't aware of.
Sexy Fish has since confirmed that the receipt was due to a "till error" that has now been corrected. They explained that the drink was made with Plymouth Gin, considered an upgrade on their standard Negroni usually priced at £9.25.
The Sexy Fish bill didn't quite add up (MEN)The man told Manchester Evening News: "I went in for a drink with my flatmate and we ordered two Negronis. When the bill arrived the full total was almost £32 which at first I was like OK, that's the price here."
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"But when I looked more closely at the receipt I could see it didn't make any sense. I couldn't work it out because since when does 2 x £9.25 equal £28? Naturally, because of this I decided to query it with the bar staff."
"They seemed to be at a bit of a loss at first, but then explained it was because they used Plymouth Gin. So, you pay £9.25 for a negroni but then the gin you have adds to the cost? To me that just felt a bit sneaky."
He added: "It seems a bit snide to me because it is quite a big difference in price. If you wanted to change to a more premium product it would make sense, but not for Plymouth Gin. There was no conversation on how they charge for the drinks, and when the bill came we were both just as shocked as each other."
A spokesperson for Sexy Fish responded: "A customer ordered a cocktail not on our menu, which was made especially for him. The receipt was unfortunately not displayed correctly due to a till error, but the guest was charged the correct amount. The guest was immediately notified about the error at the time of purchase. He paid without any issue and appeared happy with the drinks."
A classic Negroni is made with equal parts of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth and is usually finished with a slice of orange. Plymouth Gin is a popular drinks brand in the UK, made at one of the country's oldest gin distilleries in Devon. Retail bottles of the gin are priced at £20 for 70cl in both Asda and Morrisons at the moment.
Sexy Fish, known for its celebrity following, opened its lavish restaurant and bar on Spinningfields last month. It features jaw-dropping oceanic-inspired Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry sculptures and artworks, as well as a cascading waterfall alongside the giant glowing pink onyx bar.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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