Bar Etiquette: The Polite Boozehound’s Guide

Working in the bar industry for the past eight years has given me many things. Among them, it's provided me with the most enviable people-watching experiences, plenty of ruined manicures, and a whole new respect for a hard day's (and night's) work. A quick review of my CV would tell you that I've worked in several different states and even a European country, but you'd be surprised at how common misconceptions about bar etiquette — and even bartenders themselves — exist no matter where I go.

Because the season of happy hours is upon us — and because I want to believe that most of my run-ins with rudeness are due to genuine lack of knowledge — it's time to talk about how we handle the whats, whys, whos behind the booze.