I was under the impression that margins on alcohol were huge. At least where I am, proprietors trip over themselves to get alcohol licenses, and those licenses go for hefty premiums.
They are - usually a place will charge 3-4x, sometimes 5-6x depending on the type of liquor and brand, what they paid for the product. You lose a bit to labor if you're making craft cocktails, as there can be a lot of prep behind those. Having a good wine list usually means have a sommelier or wine steward who will get paid a bit more than the rest of the serving staff. But for the most part the labor costs for front-of-house are nothing ($2.13/hr in a lot of states) compared to the cooking staff.
I have a friend who owns a popular bar and a popular coffee shop. He says he makes far more profit off the coffee shop (which has baked goods and sandwiches and salads) than the bar. Might be different in disparate places.
