There is always some kind of bartending lingo or slang created within a professional community in all kinds of different professions. When it comes to bartending, there are many words that they use to describe certain drinks, situations, or even people.
The 101 bartending lingo is basically how bartenders communicate with words that are usually only used within the community.
Each profession has a different lingo, in some of them such as Laws. They refer to terms a little more technical, the same happens with doctors. However in the case of bartenders, the lingo has a little of everything.
This is a very common thing to see in many industries.
This is the case of the bartending lingo, as mentioned above, which happens in social spaces such as bars and restaurants. That is why even customers know and learn some of those words. These are words that bartenders repeat often when they are serving and attending at the bar. Some of these words are more common than others. It is necessary for any good bartender to know them all.
Today, we give you some of the most relevant and common slang words and phrases used by bartenders for hire in most US states.
Baby is a common bartending lingo
To take a small shot of beer as fast as possible.
Behind the stick
This is what a bartender will say when they have to work at night. I will be behind the stick tonight is the most common way to say this. This is one of those phrases or โlingoโ that probably every bartender has pronounced at some point.
Build
This is what bartending says when they are creating a drink. A complicated drink that requires many specific ingredients added in a very particular and strict order.
In these cases, it is important that the bartender not only knows the correct word “Build”. They also must know as much as possible all the types of mixes and combinations that exist. This is important in case a customer asks for it. In part from this derives the success of every bartender, knowing the lingo and knowing the right mixes.
Drain pour
The name for the game with beer that it is not worth drinking even if you are aiming to get drunk. Therefore, if you hear a bartender say these words, it would be best if you don’t take that beer!
The point
This is the area that the best bartender in the house should be working. It is located at the end of the bar near the door. Of course, all bartenders want to work in that specific area, Give that “The Point” is the best zone in the entire bar. Therefore, it is the busiest and where you will receive the most tips.
Specs
This is what a bartender will say to another bartender when they need to remember a drink recipe. This is a very common occurrence when people ask for the least popular requests on the cocktail menu. Although it is true that the vast majority of bartenders know almost all the content. This means mixes, cocktails and spirits on the menu. In some occasions, it may happen that they have made that drink a few times. Maybe the recipe is a bit complicated. Perhaps that it is not very common, that is why it is important to know this lingo in case they need help from another bartender without the client noticing.
Staff meeting
When the staff at the bar takes a round of shots to keep the momentum going during their shift.
Why are these โStaff Meetingโ necessary especially during long shifts?
Bartenders can also feel tired at a certain point during the night, after serving hundreds of customers behind the bar, that is why at some point in the night, they need a โlittle boostโ to continue working at the same pace. They have been doing it all night, so don’t be surprised when you hear the word โStaff meetingโ and that all the staff disappear for a few moments and when they come back, you see them more โcheerfulโ than usual.
Whalez
This is the name of the rarest beers and there are people who are always hunting for those rare beers to drink.
Many people are looking for new liquors and cocktails but also new beers, and sometimes they come to the bar asking the bartender if they have any of these rare drinks, in this case, the word that the bartender is going to use to refer to that different beer or uncommon liquor, it’s Whalez.
Bar Spoon
It refers to a long-handled spoon, used to place and mix various types of drinks; the spoon has an appropriate length to reach the bottom of a jug or a tall glass, and in this way, to be able to mix all the ingredients added to prepare the drink or cocktail.
Dirty:
When olive juice is added to a Martini, for example, it is when we refer to this drink as “Dirty Martini”, the more olive juice it has, the dirtier the Martini will be, considering that many people order Martini, it is important that the bartender knows what a โDirty Martiniโ is.
Flame
The word itself says it, it is when a drink is โset on fireโ; one of the most famous is the Sambuca, which is often lit on fire to heat it up and then turn it off and drink it immediately. Another of the liqueurs that is used to put โon โflamesโ is Rum of grade 151 which is quite flammable. You need to be a trained bartender to know how to set these drinks on fire.
Jigger
This is a small device used very often and that you can find in any bar in any city in the world. Shaped like an hourglass and used by bartenders to pour liquors with total precision.
Last call
“Last Call” the bartender use this lingo when the bar is about to close and in this is the way hoy they make their customers know that they must place their last drink orders before the night is over and the bar closes.
Mixology
This is one of the most used โlingoโ by bartenders, since it refers to the art of creating and mixing cocktails. That is why bartenders must properly and widely handle the art of mixology.
Neat
In these cases, it refers to any drink that comes straight from the bottle, served only in a low glass, without ice and with no other ingredient to accompany it. One of the most common “neat” drinks is whiskey.
Stir
This refers to when various ingredients of a specific drink stirred with a bar spoon.
Top Shelf
It refers to the bottles of alcohol that are available at the bar, which are of the highest quality. (and the most expensive as well) and that, therefore, are located on the upper shelf because they are the ones that customers ask less often.
The bartending lingo is almost endless
These are just some of the most common bar lingo that you are likely to hear about at bars across America. Nevertheless, this list is barely scratching the surface. There are some words and lingo that can be very state specific. This is the reason why we only mention some of the words used in all states.
Questions and Answers
Because as in any job or profession that has its own lingo, learning all these words will allow you to communicate better with all the other bartenders and also have your own keywords to communicate when they are serving customers.
You have some other common bar lingo used in other countries and are typical of their culture, drinks, cocktails and even the language and other characteristics.
The practice; Without a doubt this is the best way to do it, since while you are learning to serve customers at the bar, you will hear other bartenders repeat these words and in this way you will be learning them and repeating them as well.
Not at all, even when there are a few technical words that might require more time to remember them, most of them are not actually too complicated.
Final thoughts
If you want to hire bartenders for the best events. You are going to find some of the best in the business are going to be using complex words. When bartenders are communicating with each other, it sounds like that they sometimes speak a different language.
The slang for bartenders is almost like a tribal thing. This is one of the reasons why itโs such a great thing. It creates a sense of community between those who work at bars. It also becomes part of the lingo used by people. These are frequent clients and they pick up on what the bartenders are saying.
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