Dr:nk

DR: NK is an off licence I love. They don’t do the best of offers and are certainly just not the cheapest. But the staff are always fantastic craic. I used to work in a pub close attached to one and calling in to have a natter always made for a good break in a long shift. One of the best things about this off licence is that its open until 11 which is the latest opening hours for an offies in Belfast, so when ever you run out of your favourite tipple, refills are close by and available.

Dr: nk… I’ve decided I’m dropping that and calling it Drink. The punctuation is nonsensical and I think it’s also just a clever way of getting around actually calling the place Drink (drink being a coarse and often bandied about excessively)
This place sells the usual spirits as well as packing a reasonable wine selection (you’ll get a few Peter Lehmann reds and whites, notably their superb 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon)
The problem is that prices are often at the very peak and high end of what places in the city can charge, especially for everyday items and the usual big hitters.
The only thing I bought here that I thought was well priced was Woodford Reserve Bourbon for £26. If you haven’t tried it then treat yourself — from Islay single malt drinkers to those people who have jaded misconceptions about whiskey/​whisky in general, everyone can safely say it is superb. Tonnes of rich vanilla dipped oak, warming caramel and honey tinged booze on the finish seeped in tonnes of well balanced peppery wood.

It’s hard to get an off licence wrong, really, so Dr: nk does the job. It’s in a prime location to catch students heading to house parties.
They never really have any great offers on, but because of their fish-​in-​a-​barrel location, they don’t really have to worry about being competitive.

Dr: nk is always seen as more for convenience rather than for any particular offers. Much in the same vain as Wineflair or Winemark, Dr: nk is designed to be the easy option so you don’t have to walk all the way to Tescos or Asda, but rather call into it around the corner and be home within ten minutes.
Although the prices are marked up somewhat in comparison to supermarket prices, Dr: nk does offer something that supermarkets do not — chilled beer and wine. It is such a simple addition and from working in a supermarket myself, it is not something that you would notice unless it was mentioned to you, but to buy beer that is already cold is such a significant bonus and would almost make me come here instead of walking further and saving a pound or two, and then having to chill it for a number of hours first.
Dr:nk usually has a host of offers on, which can be seen in a huge poster in their windows. Although it almost always has vodka or spirits that I don’t drink, it is still worth coming in here because as a wine drinker/​connoisseur, they almost always have a substantial selection which almost always have some special offer on.
Some call it the lazy man’s option. I call it convenience.