Ruby Tiplady, Head of Life & Style:
Pres are an opportunity to spend time with your friends before you go out, maybe getting some photos together, and listen to music of your own choice - but, most importantly, pres in a student house are to save money! Despite student drink deals, once you’ve paid club entry, for taxis, and for a bite to eat at the end of the night, any night out can be an expensive one. The solution? Reduce your spending in the club by getting to the ideal level before you go out. A bottle of wine is perfect for this: you can splash out or save on the bottle you buy, you can have a glass while you get ready then take the rest to pres, and you can’t accidentally overpour because it doesn’t need mixers. Plus, if you’ve had enough, you can abandon the bottle at little loss, unlike if you took a bottle of vodka with you.
Olivia Bulman, NSR Show Host:
Wine - that foul-tasting, low alcohol percentage drink. It’s overwhelming to walk into your local, hoping to get a nice bottle of wine for pres, only to realise there are 3 different types, 30 choices of each, and they’re all hugely different in price and alcohol level. It’s too much for a poor student to have to decipher. Now, vodka – reliable, versatile, cheap – will most definitely get you drunk! What more could you ask for, for the perfect pres drink? Granted, unless you’re superhuman, you’ll need a mixer to go with it. Coke is my chosen mixer of choice – however, any juice, fizzy drink or even squash will perfectly match this spirit.
Now, vodka – reliable, versatile, cheap – will most definitely get you drunk! What more could you ask for, for the perfect pres drink?
Milly Thompson, Music Sub-Editor:
I’ve never been a vodka girl. Maybe a vodka lemonade every once in a while, but nothing sounds worse to me than a vodka orange. Now, you might be thinking, vodka coke? Vodka cranberry? But there are just so many better combinations. Rum and coke. Disaronno and cranberry. Ah, there it is. Disaronno, or amaretto, really. I just grab the cheapest bottle I can find from Aldi or Lidl, and it lasts me months. Yes, people might think it’s strange that I’m drinking straight liquor as a pre-drink, but it’s genuinely so tolerable and really hits the spot.
Yes, people might think it’s strange that I’m drinking straight liquor as a pre-drink, but it’s genuinely so tolerable and really hits the spot.
Sasha Cowie, Sports Sub-Editor:
Cocktail cans are the unsung heroes of pres. No measuring, no mixers, no mess—just crack it open and you’re good to go. They’re perfect for students who can’t be bothered to play bartender before a night out. Whether it’s a gin and tonic, mojito, or pornstar martini, there’s something for everyone (and you don’t risk making it taste rubbish). Plus, they’re easy to down, pack for house pres, or sneak into places. Lidl cocktail cans are cheap, and you’re paying for convenience and great taste—and honestly, what spirit actually tastes good? Cocktail cans are the way to go. Trust.