Another round? At these prices, I can barely afford my own drink

In this column, we deliver hot (and cold) takes on pop culture, judging whether a subject is overrated or underrated.

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There’s no easy way to say what I’m about to say, so I’ll just say it. I think we need to call time on the shout – that strange custom, practiced only in public houses, whereby you can’t just walk over and buy yourself a refreshment whenever you want one, but must either buy one for everybody else at the same time or else wait for another person to buy yours when they want theirs.

I issue this call for shout reform nervously, knowing that I’ll be denounced as a tight-arse at best and a dangerous fanatic at worst. In Australia, buying one’s round is a kind of religious obligation. To question the point of this hallowed ritual is to risk heresy, if not blasphemy.

But given the skyrocketing cost of the average round, I don’t think this conversation can be deferred any longer. Forget about bracket creep. In our pubs and clubs, beverage creep is running rampant. Nowadays, a modest round can cost........

© The Sydney Morning Herald