Sick of shelling out $15 for a cocktail that tastes exactly like a gin and tonic you could’ve made at home for 1/19th the price, but in a chicer glass and a trendier venue (wait a minute—that’s exactly what it is!)? Well, great news: you don’t have to—in fact, you don’t have to pay a dime. If the aforementioned practice has your wallet thinned to scary pre-pregnancy Nicole Ritchie proportions, there’s no need to become a social recluse or skimp on your drinking habits. There are plenty of opportunities to drink free in Manhattan; you just have to know how to find them. Once you do, the complimentary cocktails will begin to fall like manna from the heavens. Hint: it doesn’t always involve batting your eyelashes at the Sugar Daddy across the room, so guys listen up, too. 
1. Become Art Savvy: On any given night, there’s usually an opening at an art gallery somewhere. These celebratory events are usually accompanied by complimentary drinks of the sophisticated variety (think wine and champagne) and may give you a deeper understanding of exactly what the hell it is you’re looking at. The most densely populated gallery neighborhood is Chelsea, so take a walk down 10th and 11th Avenues in the 20s and scan for open galleries with activity. Openings occur after normal gallery hours, between 6-8pm, so get there a few minutes beforehand to avoid lines. Once you’re in, head for the bar, but space repeat visits out and try to alternate bartenders. You wouldn’t want to reveal your true intentions, lest you get kicked out. Chat up people who seem to be in the know and act genuinely interested; if successful, you may secure invites to future events and have mastered this legitimate art form.
2. Reap Customer Rewards: All of the major department stores in Manhattan—Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Barney’s—have weekly, if not daily, events. Sometimes they’ll have special guest visits, sometimes they’ll have giveaways such as a free makeover, and most times they’ll have booze. To find out when the next event is, visit the store’s Web site, click on “Stores and Events,” and select the location in your ‘hood. Oftentimes, there will be multiple events on the same date, so you can make a night out of it without pushing past the revolving doors. A word of caution: this can get dicey, as inebriation leads to rash decisions (like purchasing that $500 sparkly cocktail dress). This is exactly what they want you to do, so leave the credit cards at home and do not succumb to temptation.
3. Go Shorty, It’s Your Birfday: Several bars in the city will let you (and, if they’re really nice, your friends) drink free on your birthday. We’re pretty sure this is a once-a-year deal—you could pretend it’s your birthday like you once did at restaurants to get a bonus dessert at the end of the meal, but what happens when they check your I.D. to let you in? Do half-birthdays count? We’re thinking probably not. If you want to push your luck or cash-in on your big day, try Stanton Public where if you bring eight friends, the birthday boy or girl drinks free; Cheap Shots for unlimited shots and beers for the guest of honor, all night; T.G. Whitneys’ will provide free drinks and karaoke for the honoree and all of his or her friends; if you bring twenty guests to Katwalk, receive a free bottle of champagne, or make it forty for a free bottle of vodka; or stop in at Porky’s anytime during the month in which you were born so you and twenty friends can get sloshed together, gratis.
4. Glossy Giveaways: Magazines constantly throw parties and events, and luckily for you, New York is the media capital. The best ones center around launches, re-launches, redesigns, annual lists, and anniversary or special issues, if only for the sheer glam factor. But the ones sponsored by an advertiser are just as good for the task at hand, which is to get drunk without having to pay for it—hey, beggars can’t be choosers. Visit the Web sites of some titles you read or subscribe to and click on the link to “Events and Promotions.” If there are no events listed in the area, sign-up to receive an e-mail newsletter that will notify you when the next one will take place. Bonus: the really good ones give out goody bags as you leave.
5. Make Friends: There’s a reason socialites seem to appear at every party: they’re well connected. Interact with the right people, and your six degrees of separation from unfettered alcohol shrinks. Publicists frequently throw events for their clients, so having a few of those in your rolodex doesn’t hurt. Same goes for journalists, who are the people who get invited to said events, and more times than not are allowed a plus one. Try to make yourself that plus one. But most importantly (and most likely overlooked), befriend your local bartender. For every ten village idiots that saunter up to the bar and give the barkeep a hard time, there’s exactly one good guy. Be that good guy. Chat him or her up, tip well, establish a rapport, and your good behavior will not go unrewarded. This may take a few repeat visits, but consider this a long-term investment strategy that will pay dividends down the line.
6. Look in the Right Places: Plenty of Web sites now are devoted to tracking down and listing events across Manhattan that feature freebies, mostly in the form of booze. Going.com covers all the city’s happenings and requires some extra elbow grease in order to sift through to the good stuff; FreeNYC.net lists all free events, most of which come with drinks, on a daily basis; MyOpenBar.com does much the same thing, but has a bit of a hipster bent as the founders of the site are from (gasp!) Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
7. See What’s In Store: Upscale wine and liquor stores will often have in-store tasting events. They want to showcase their product offerings; you want to drink them without having to make a purchase. It’s symbiotic, really. Granted, you won’t be getting a brimming glassful, but it’s still free. Bierkraft, an artisan beer shop in Brooklyn, holds a free beer and cheese tasting on Tuesday nights. Crush Wine & Spirits holds themed wine and champagne tastings every Thursday. In addition to wine tastings, Astor Wine & Spirits offers up demonstrations of its other liquor, such as cognac or rum, from time to time. Make sure to call ahead or check the store’s Web site for the most up to date information.
8. Eat Brunch: A few restaurants have begun to include free or unlimited alcohol with your purchase of brunch—must be a play on the whole “hair of the dog” thing to combat your hangover from the night before. This seems to be a growing trend, but the eateries that consistently offer this include Essex , whose $16 brunch special includes three Bloody Marys, Mimosas or Screwdrivers; The Sunburnt Cow, where the $15 Australian brunc
