How Not To Waste The $50 Wine Cup You Got From A Broadway Show

If you've been to a Broadway show in recent years, you've no doubt had to dig deep into your pockets. The ticket alone may have run over $100 or even upwards of $300 if it's a popular show. If you hit the concessions stand, too, this didn't come cheap. While the average price of a drink is $12, this includes sodas and such. If wine is what you want, a glass will run you $24, so a double helping plus tip may well cost $50+. A steep price, to be sure, but at least you'll get a souvenir out of the deal since Broadway shows serve their drinks in what are essentially adult sippy cups.

So, what can you do with your pricey sippy cup when the show is over? Instead of letting it go to waste, try using it as a salad dressing shaker. Whether you're looking for something a bit healthier than the store-bought stuff, would like to experiment with different flavors such as pickle juice or maple syrup, or just want to save a few bucks (perhaps to make up for that Broadway splurge), DIY dressing is the way to go. Just measure the ingredients into the cup, put the top back on, and shake up your dressing to emulsify it. If your new dressing container puts you in a Broadway mood, you might even find yourself belting out a few bars of your favorite show tunes as you shake.

Broadway sippy cups have been pretty standard for over a decade now, adopted once theaters started allowing patrons to take their beverages into the theater. (Prior to this, it seems they had to be gulped down before the show or during a 15-minute intermission, which is no way to enjoy a $24 cup of wine.) The reason for the lidded cups is, of course, because these are meant to reduce spillage. The cups can also serve as an advertisement for either the theater or the show as they provide plenty of real estate on which to emblazon a theater logo or even a show-specific design.

While not all Broadway shows will necessarily have a specially-designed souvenir cup, those that do may become collectible items. There is a Facebook group devoted to this hobby as well as numerous such cups listed for sale on eBay. Not every such cup commands a top price, it's true, but a recent check showed that cups from 2016's "Shuffle Along" and "Tuck Everlasting" were listed at $150 at the time of writing, while one from 2018's "Carousel" was priced at $75. If your souvenir cup does have an especially eye-catching design, you might just want to show it off in a display case or even try selling it yourself rather than using it to shake up a batch of vinaigrette.