The Unexpected World War 2 Origins Of Bottle Service

Nothing quite screams VIP in a busy club like bottle service. The dramatic production of servers in (typically) risqué outfits, the flashing lights, and the mini parade taken through the throng of the dancing subclass insinuates a certain level of status. The interestingly humble beginnings of this service, though, date back to a time usually conflated with ruin — World War II.

Just four short years before tensions between Japan and the U.S. reached a devastating tipping point, the first iterations of bottle service bloomed across Japan. Sake hungry soldiers flooded restaurants, undoubtedly looking to shake off the terrors of war by imbibing a type of sake fortified with added alcohol due to wartime rice rations, ordering bottles at a time to their tables. This service became so popular that businessmen in Tokyo joined in on the practice, with restaurants storing any unfinished bottles in lockers for their anticipated return to the establishment. Despite the promised profit of this service, it wasn't until the late 80s that bottle service regained popularity thanks to the overwhelmed Parisian club, Les Bains Douches, offering a complimentary bottle with table reservations to help with the lines of guests. Over the next 15 or so years, versions of bottle service spread westward, hitting New York and eventually West Coast hubs like Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Despite the modest origin of bottle service, modern-day paradigms have fostered the need for exclusivity and status, bolstering the call for and price of bottle service. Nowadays, bottle service costs hundreds to thousands of dollars, and that's before any miscellaneous fees or gratuity. Though that is still cheaper than the most exclusive location you can enjoy a VIP dining service — a balloon in space. Grey Goose vodka retails for between $20 and $30 at your local liquor store, but with bottle service, it could cost you over 10 times as much for the same bottle. But hey, at least the mixers are free, sometimes.

Someone could probably teach an entire economy class on the supply and demand behind bottle service. The protocols for clubs typically include a minimum price threshold for the tab and a reciprocal guest maximum. Popular Las Vegas club, Drai's, offers bottle service tables starting at $700 for a maximum of four guests, charging close to $800 for a standard bottle of Grey Goose. A standard 750-milliliter bottle holds enough liquor for about four shots or mixed drinks per person in this example, less so if you like a heavier two-ounce pour like in standard highball recipes. That's one expensive vodka soda; hold the lime. For clubs like Tao in New York City, tables will start with a minimum spend of $1,000, $1,280 after its service charges and fees, and base rates have a maximum of 6 people. Premium spirits at Tao's like Macallan 18 and Don Julio 1942 fetch a price of over $900. So, raise a glass-to-bottle service and potential credit card debt!