CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It’s too soon to say just how much money the Democratic National Convention brought to Charlotte.
But NewsChannel 36 asked for one number that gives a clue: liquor sales.
And it turns out Democrats drank…a lot.
Sales of so-called “mixed beverages” – that means liquor sold to bars and restaurants – jumped 30 percent for the two weeks around the DNC compared to the same two weeks last year.
Mecklenburg County’s Alcoholic Beverage Control stores sold $420,000 more for the last week of August and the first week of September.
And that’s just wholesale. It doesn’t include the significant markup charged by the bars.
Sales tax revenue figures to calculate hotel and restaurant business don’t come out until next month.
