We all love whisky, and we love to take whisky at the bar or restaurant. When it comes to drinking your favorite Scotch or Irish Whisky, the best you can do is walk into your local bar and ask the bartender for the best Scotch brand with ice. Bartenders are very important persons in any bar. They make your life simple when you walk inside the bar and when you get tipsy, and it’s time to go home.

By just doing what they do best, bartenders make life easy for every whisky lover. Therefore, the least you can do is avoid pissing off your bartender. To make your bartender serve you better, we have compiled a list of things we believe you should avoid doing to make your bartender happy to serve you.

1. “Give me some whisk.”

This is one of the most annoying questions you can ask your bartender. There is a wide collection of the best whisky brands out there. We all have our favorite whisky drinks, so it’s easy on the bartender if you can just mention your brand so that they pull it off the shelf for you. Whisky is quite general, so being specific can save the day.

If you love Scotch, you should also be more specific and mention how you want it served. Do you want it served with ice or no? Do you want your Scotch in a cocktail or just straight? It is not easy for bartenders to read your mind unless you’ve been drinking here for years and he knows your taste. If you don’t know what to drink for today, you can feel free to ask the bartender for some recommendations – they are always happy to serve you when you give them the freedom to do so.

2. Stop advising your bartender 

Yes, you’ve been drinking whiskey for decades now, but pulling the chair to advise your bartender is the last thing you can do. If you feel tipsy and it’s time to lecture everyone on making the best cocktails, you can have that chat with your friends and not the bartender.

Who likes a back seat driver? So, why would you bet on a back seat bartender? These fellows know what they do best. It’s actually what they do for a living. When you tell them what you believe are the facts on mixology and how to taste whiskey, they will turn a deaf ear. Just like you give your accountant that time to do your taxes, you should also show your bartender some love. Give your bartender the benefit of the doubt and let them do their job.

3. Sending your drink back because it’s not that strong 

When you taste your whisky and feel like the flavor or tones are not that strong, you should not call your bartender to take it back. It takes a lot of time to come up with a perfect whisky cocktail. Cocktails are not all about throwing drinks and fruits in a glass of wine.

When you don’t feel like your whiskey is not strong enough, you may get it wrong on your palette, or you simply don’t have the appetite for alcohol today. Bartenders are here to serve you to their best of knowledge, and giving you a weaker drink is the last they can do. Sure, you don’t have to taste the alcohol to know it has alcohol in it. Please, don’t call back the bartender if you feel your drink is weak; maybe you can order some browns to bring back your appetite.

4. Don’t mess up the table 

You have your table wine and some mix of whisky cocktail, and soon after the drinking spree is over, you begin messing things up. You want to tear the napkins and straws. You feel like using the coasters to make some confetti.

Making a mess on the table can piss your bartender off, and this is the last thing you want to do before walking out of the bar.

5. Is it sweet?

You want a cocktail, but you don’t want anything sweet in it? Well, the ‘sweet’ thing in your order is not that pleasing to any bartender. It mixes them up completely. When you keep asking your bartender how the drink tastes like and whether it has some sugar or not, they wonder if it’s your first time in a bar – maybe you are a beginner.

You should not be ordering some sweet cocktails at a dive bar. This is where you come for something strong, like beer or a shot of Irish whisky. Don’t order a cocktail, and ask your bartender if it is sweet. They will probably ignore that question or just say a big yes, find out for yourself.

6. Flirting 

Yes, she is beautiful, and you like her hair, but wait, she is your bartender for today. Most lady bartenders hate it when you call them ‘sweetie’ when you can easily read their name on the badge.

When you pick up those vibes and start flirting with your bartender, you should beware that you are pissing them off. This should stick in your head that your bartender is not flirting with you when she decides to be nice to you. They are just doing what they are trained to do, being nice to you so that you order another glass of bourbon.

7. Leaving all your shit on the bar

Abandoning your carp on the bar is another thing most bartenders hate to see you do. Bartenders are not responsible for looking after your stuff. They are here to serve you with your best whisky, to make your order for another round –that’s all.

Crap is anything you take out of your pocket and leave on the table. When you are drinking at the bar, you should keep your hands off the pocket. When you reach out to pay, you should put the money on the bartender’s hand and not on the table. Call the bottle by its name and stop pointing at things to avoid confusion.

8. Having a chat on a busy day 

Hey, when the bar is empty, you can have that discussion with your bartender to pass the time. However, on a Friday eve, when the bar is full to the brim, the least your bartender expects from you is to whip out your politics or have a discussion on the best way to serve a whisky cocktail.

Your bartender is simply going to ignore you. Do you like being ignored? Well, you should shut up and focus on the drink in front of you.

9. Not taking your time

Before walking to the bar, you should know what you want to drink. Moving to the bar when you don’t know what drink to serve for the day will piss your bartender. Most bartenders are busy, especially on the weekend.

So, before you walk to the bar, make up your mind on what bourbon you want to be served. If you don’t have a favorite drink, you can simply ask for a recommendation just to save time.

10. Clicking on the air 

When your drink runs out, you don’t have to raise your hands on air or click to seek the bartender’s attention. They are probably looking at your table or doing some rounds to ask you if you need another bottle.

If the bar is full and your bartender is busy serving others, you can wait for your turn to make eye contact and order a drink. When you are ordering for others, you can ask them to write it down to avoid confusion.

Final Thoughts 

Bartenders are good people, right? If you want the best of service when you are out to drink with friends, you should be good to your bartender. Pay attention to what is right in front of you whenever you walk into a bar. Have some drinking etiquette when you walk to the bar and avoid leaving your crap behind.

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