Originally Posted by canadiancow

So I have a few comments.

First, I've seen them open new bottles when I order drinks. I can hear the crack, so I know it's new.

Second, this isn't fancy expensive liquor. It's cheap, and they go through many bottles per day. And they keep the bottles out, so they can't be doing this in a back room (or they would all be open already, which they're not).

Third, WHY? What do they really have to gain from watering down a $10 bottle when the booze is free?

My typical lounge drinking procedure goes something like this. I arrive from somewhere I wasn't drinking (work, home, wherever). I grab a drink, and drink it. I repeat this. Over the course of my lounge visit, I slow down, as I get to the point I want to be at before boarding the flight.

If the drinks are weaker, I order more. Except this means they have to use more ice, more mix, and dirty more glasses. So they're certainly not saving money.

And I doubt it's the bartender stealing it, because it's free. They don't need to sell $50 in drinks for every empty bottle. There's no way they're doing inventory to a level that the bartender wouldn't be on the floor before anyone noticed.

This all being said, my drink of choice at YYC is Captain Morgan spiced rum (I've made them toss a few drinks because they pour dark when I ask for spiced) and Coke Zero, with ice. It would have to be pretty watered down for me to notice anything. If they were doing a 75/25 split, I'd just end up ordering a drink I wouldn't have otherwise, but I would not notice the issue.