Text size:

Nightlife: Drinking for cheap

By William Sealy | Special to amNewYork

Locals travel to Bourbon Street Bar on the Upper West side of Manhattan for 50 cent drink specials on Coors Light and Bud Light Draft beers Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Evenings. (Tiffany Clark)

Don't let the recession leave you trapped on your couch. We've found several bars that are guaranteed not to empty your pockets, no matter how much you can drink. So raid that jar of laundry quarters and grab a bar-stool.

Cheap Shots
140 First Ave., between Ninth Street and St. Marks Place
212-254-6631

The name of this bar says it all. City drinkers are lured to Cheap Shots by its creative specials such as "Rock-Paper-Scissors Tuesdays" (half-priced drinks all night if you beat the bartender), and you can order a pitcher of any beer for $7. The bar also provides an assortment of drinking games, including black-light air hockey and darts. Birthday ladies and gents drink for free all night -- just show your driver's license as proof.

Moonshine
317 Columbia St., between Woodhull Street and Hamilton Avenue, Red Hook, Brooklyn

Experience this one-of-a-kind New York dive with honky-tonk flare near the BQE. Take pleasure in the dirt-cheap specials such the $5 James Gang (a shot of Jameson and a PBR) or a $5 bucket of four cans of PBR -- along with all the free peanuts you can eat. The bar boasts a wide selection of country-rock tunes, and the upright piano is open to amateurs.

Bourbon Street
407 Amsterdam Ave., between 79th and 80th streets
212-721-1332

While this Upper West Side bar is a long way from the real Bourbon Street, it does bring a touch of New Orleans to the city. You can grab 50-cent Coors Light cans from 9 to 11 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 50-cent Bud or Bud Light drafts Thursdays and Fridays. From 11 to 1 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, you get the same beer for a buck. The rock-bottom deal -- along with a jukebox loaded with '80s and '90s hits -- are great reasons to let loose in this wild and festive bar that's not for the faint of heart.

Turkey's Nest Tavern
94 Bedford Ave. at N. 12th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
718-384-9774

This authentic dive bar located across from McCarren Park attracts a mixed crowd of middle-aged regulars fixed to the baseball game or Quick Draw lotto as well as hard-partying hipster types. Regardless of where you fit in, you'll be sure to enjoy the cheap drinks and deal of a 32 oz. Bud, Coors light or Miller light in a Styrofoam cup for $3.50.

The Continental
25 Third Ave., between Ninth Street and St. Marks Place
212-529-6924

The sign above this dive bar reads "5 Shots of Anything $10 / All Day All Night (yes, we're serious)." And, this bar is the place for serious drinkers and partiers; Joey Ramone played his last show there in 2000, and Iggy Pop even drank there once. Though the stage was gutted, Continental retains its punk rock attitude. Other drink specials include $1.50 Yuengling bottles from Sunday to Thursday. You can also check out happy hour every day from 4 to 8 p.m., when all drinks are $2 to $5.