‘No second round’: 7 star Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello loses it over price of two drinks

The TV personality took to social media after paying a ridiculous price for a beer and a wine.

A Channel 7 star has declared he won’t be staying for another round after being stung $42 for a beer and a wine as going out for a single drink becomes an “unaffordable luxury for most Australians”.

On Monday, South Australian media personality Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello posted an image of two drinks at an undisclosed bar to his Instagram account: “A rose and a pint was $42.50 at a bar tonight.”

“You have to feel for bars competing with wage increases, product increases, and taxes … but $42.50?” the travel and lifestyle TV host wrote.

Australian media personality Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello expressed shock at being charged $42.50 for a rose and a pint at a bar. Picture: Facebook

Cosi joked: “I just told my wife drink slowly cause there’s no second round.”

Fans speculated that the South Aussie with Cosi star was at an airport, where Aussies have begrudgingly come to accept highly inflated prices.

However, the over $20-per-drink price tag still stunned plenty of followers.

“Ripped off – stay home with friends – BBQ and drinks with tunes always will be a better night in – change my mind,” one wrote.

“Australia has become the biggest rip-off country in the world,” lamented another.

Some called the price insane, while another jokingly theorised, “I think they charged you for a bottle of rose.”

Andrew 'Cosi' Costello.

Sadly, for beer, wine, and spirits lovers – even those who party at home – Cosi’s observation is well on track to becoming commonplace.

The estimated cost of a pint of beer tipped over $15 after a price rise of around 90 cents on February 5 due to an increase in the alcohol tax, which has risen by two per cent.

The tax charged on spirits and beer – known as the excise tax – varies depending on the alcohol content of each drink.

The amount of excise tax charged by the government is also linked to inflation, with official figures yesterday showing inflation increased by 4.1 per cent for the three months to December 31.

Excise tax rates are adjusted twice a year – in August and February – based on the movement of inflation.

With inflation on the rise recently, drinkers have been hit with excise tax increases of almost 15 per cent since the last federal election in May 2022.

And it’s not just the drinkers suffering.

The Brewers Association of Australia highlighted that Australia has the third-highest beer tax in the world, and called on the government to take action to prevent alcohol consumption from becoming ‘unaffordable for most Australians’. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Brewers Association of Australia chief executive John Preston told news.com.au earlier this year Australia has the third-highest beer tax in the world, after Norway and Finland.

“The increase brings the tax on a slab to around $20, with GST added on top of that,” he said.

“These days around half the cost of a $55 slab is excise tax and GST.

“While the Treasurer inherited these automatic half-yearly beer tax increases, we’re calling on the Government to step in and take some action before a trip to the pub or a dinner out with the family becomes an unaffordable luxury for most Australians”.

An alarming number of other independent breweries have gone into administration in the past year including Brisbane-based Ballistic Beer Company, Adelaide business Big Shed Brewing, Melbourne-based Hawkers Brewery and the Wayward brand and Akasha Brewery, both from Sydney.

Most cite the tax increases and rising costs.