The Margin had an enjoyable evening in Dublin last Saturday - fine food, good company, etc. However, the evening's entertainment paled in comparison to that enjoyed by revellers at a nightclub in London.

At midnight in Brown's club in Covent Garden, an unnamed guest offered a drink to the club's owner, Richard Traviss, who was out celebrating his birthday.

The guest, said to be a German-born Spanish fruit importer, offered him a drink. Traviss asked for a glass of champagne.

However, the mystery guest bought Traviss and his girlfriend nine bottles of Cristal champagne at £250 each.

The guest then asked for the music to be turned down, took the microphone and told the 200 people attending the nightclub that all the drinks were on him.

His offer was duly taken up and included 49 bottles of Cristal Rose, 20 bottles of Bollinger, 20 Sambucas and 20 Baileys.

And the cost of all this? A mere £42,608.25. It included a £4,734.35 tip.

For the record, the drinks were paid for through nine rounds on a single credit card.