No shots for you

by Lorna Juett

In honor of one of the biggest bar days of the year and in preparation for the holiday season which is always a time full of celebratory drinks, I'd like to offer my take on shots. As a drinker with plenty of practice, I have woken up on a few occasions to a parched throat, eyes and a brain that feel like they don’t belong to me and the pervasive thought, ”I should have never done those shots.”

As a bartender at an event, I have to turn down requests for shots, not because I care about how the guest feels in the morning, but rather about how they will act tonight. I don’t want any hand in helping the now uninhibited bridesmaid to hit on the bride’s underage cousin, or assist the friend of the groom in putting his fist through an antique mirror and then passing out in the bridal suite.

Most importantly, I don’t serve shots because I don’t want to put FIG or myself in any trouble. FIG is required to carry liquor liability or dram shop insurance. This insurance covers any claim if a guest gets injured, injures someone else, or damages property after being served alcohol by our staff. As a bartender, I could also be held personally liable. Not only do I not want our guests injuring themselves, but I don't want our insurance rates to skyrocket or, worse yet, have our insurance revoked making us unable to serve guests liquor.

Fortunately it is not my place to explain the finer points of insurance to a guest. When approached for a shot, it is best to keep it simple and tell the guest that it is against our policy to serve shots and that I could be fired for doing so. Most guests understand and will ask for a less direct means of alcohol delivery.

However, some more determined guests get creative. Recently I was asked by a woman in her 20s, after being denied a shot, for a 'neat' drink. Immediately afterwards. Now, I may look dumb, but I know that this person has no intention of sipping the whiskey and denied her the drink.

Now it's time for a little creativity of my own. Since you don't want a pissed off guest, dealing with their request in a fun, but firm manner is the balance you must strike. If it’s early in the night, I can offer a beer, or a mixed drink (something that will take them longer to drink). If it’s later, and I fear the patron is already over served, I can offer a glass of water or a mixed drink that I can short-pour (I feel less guilty about this because the person is not paying for the drink).

If the situation progresses further, we may have to cut off the guest. This is the point in this interaction that I hate the most, where I feel threatened, defensive, and afraid this news will be twisted and the client will be unhappy with the perceived treatment of their guest.

In the end, it’s my duty to use the authority I have to protect the health and safety of the patrons I serve, and the integrity of the business I work for. Typically, our clients and guests understand that, and thank us for being a voice of reason in a celebratory situation. I also hope that the guests I deny shots to, while they may be upset at the time, also wake up saying, “I am glad I never did those shots."