A lot of New Yorkers are planning to be three sheets to the wind when Irene blows through town.
City residents made a run on liquor stores yesterday, stocking up on wine, booze and beer in hopes of getting blotto as they watch the storm’s fury.
“I figured it was a good idea to come here in case the power goes out and we need some entertainment,” said Lacey Voss, 24, a fashion designer from Williamsburg who was in a line of nearly 90 customers that snaked out of Trader Joe’s Wine Shop on 14th Street at Union Square.
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“I’m going to buy enough wine to tide me over,” said Jen Berrio, a 34-year-old party planner who left with 17 bottles of wine.
“My plan for Sunday is to have some wine and try to have a good time.”
With Hurricane Irene set to pound New York early tomorrow, liquor sales are up all over the New York area, said Martin Silver, president of Star Industries and a Georgi Vodka distributor. He said sales of the spirit were up 30 percent due to the hurricane.
“People are planning hurricane parties; they want to enjoy themselves,” he said.
Katherine Moore, the general manager of Union Square Wines and Liquor, said she’s seen a big increase in demand.
“The first call I got this morning was from someone planning a hurricane party,” she said. “They wanted a mixed case of reds, whites and rosé.”
Dave Phillips, 44, the sales manager of Astor Wine and Spirits, said that he’s put up the recipe for the famous New Orleans cocktail The Hurricane on his store’s Facebook page.
“I’ve seen a lot of people looking for Hurricane mixes,” he said. “Inquiries about Dark and Stormy cocktails have also gone up tremendously.”