Every new job has its learning curve. When you mix in a whole lot of lingo and even more alcohol, though, that curve can get pretty steep for new bartenders.
Bartender and TikTok creator Leah (@leahsydney) recently posted a viral video about a rookie mistake that hit sympathetic viewers like a shot of something strong. The video has 2.3 million views and 162,000 likes.
In the video, Leah filmed herself walking and wrote an anecdote on the screen.
“Thinking about my first week as a bartender when a man ordered a $50 bourbon and as I’m pouring it into a glass with ice he says ‘neat’ and I proceed to talk about how I think the bottle is really cool looking too,” the text read.
The video was set to an audio clip from one of creator @skylaryerdone’s videos: “Excuse me, I need your help. You need to kill me.”
In the caption, Lean conceded that the anecdote was an exaggeration, “but i didnt know what neat meant for a while.”
Viewers held happy hour in the comments, commiserating with Leah and swapping their own rookie bartending misunderstandings.
“Shoulda said ‘no it rocks,’” one commenter wrote.
“When I started bartending a customer said ‘make it neat’ and I was like ‘don’t worry I make all my drinks neat,’” another commenter wrote.
“It’s ok I carded someone for an Arnold Palmer,” a viewer chimed in. Someone else replied, “The first time I ordered one I gave my ID so it happens on both ends.”
“I asked for ID when they ordered a shirley temple,” another viewer wrote.
“Someone asked me for a ranch water and i brought out a water cup with ranch in it,” a comment read.
“A lady once asked me if we had dry wine, I responded ‘all our wines are liquids,’” a commenter wrote.
“Someone asked for an extra dry martini and I wiped out the glass with a napkin,” one person added.
“When i first started bartending a lady asked me for a screwdriver and she looked so disappointed when i gave her an actual screwdriver,” someone recalled. Another viewer replied, “PLEASE. this would be an automatic 40% tip from me.”
“Someone asked me for a paloma and i had a coworker named paloma so i said oh she’s not here right now and he was like what,” a comment read.
“Me when a customer asked for a painkiller and i went in the back and brought him some advil,” one commenter wrote.
“Someone ordered a shot of 1942 [tequila], and my bartender said we were 86’d. I went back to the customer & said we don’t have 1942 but we have 86,” another person commented.
“Someone asked for a michelob ultra n i said ‘im not sure if we can make that one,’” one bartender admitted.
“My first time serving and someone asked for baileys and coffee I legit asked the cook for a bay leaf and gave him coffee w it floating on top,” a viewer fessed up.
“A lady asked for a green tea shot once and i told her we only had sweet and unsweet,” one viewer added.
“My first week of bartending when someone asked for a vodka soda and I gave them titos & coke,” another comment read.
“Someone asked me for a margarita with salt and i grabbed a salt [shaker] and poured it into the drink. they were watching,” another comment read.
It’s not always the jargon that trips up a newbie. One viewer commented, “The first customer who ordered wine from me had to open the bottle bc I couldn’t work the wine opener.”
@leahsydney this is an exageration hahah but i didnt know what neat meant for a while 😂😂😭
♬ creds to skylaryerdone – ⛄️inky⛄️
Just in case any fledgling bartenders wonder why everyone is laughing: To prepare a drink neat calls for “two ounces of a single spirit served in an old-fashioned glass that’s meant to be sipped—no chilling, no ice or any other mixers,” according to the Michelin Guide. “Usually used on Whiskey or Brandy, both commonly drunk at room temperature.”
That’s opposed to a drink “on the rocks”—”a spirit or a cocktail that is poured over ice cubes in a straight-walled, flat-bottomed glass,” according to Michelin.
Things get a little confusing if someone orders their drink “straight up.” Sometimes that’s a synonym for neat. But if it’s referring to a drink served cold, that means the same thing as ordering it “up,” or “stirred or shaken with ice, and then strained into a stemmed cocktail glass,” according to Michelin.
The Bourbon Culture says that you might order your bourbon neat if you can handle the harshness of the whiskey in its basic form. “If you aren’t really trying to get the maximum flavor profiles from your whiskey, then drinking it neat is a great way to enjoy it,” according to the enthusiast website.
Earlier this year, another bartender went viral on TikTok after calling out people who order less ice but expect more alcohol.
The Daily Dot reached out to Leah via TikTok.