One major annoyance amongst bartenders is when a customer orders a complicated drink in the middle of a rush.
While most bartenders will be happy to make your mojito or Bloody Mary, they will still gripe about how long the process takes, especially when they have plenty of other orders to get through.
Owing to this shared resentment, bartenders have taken to TIkTok to share memes and jokes about workarounds in the bar industry. For example, some have suggested replacing ginger ale with a mix of Sprite and Coca-Cola, while others have simply revealed the many ways they appease picky customers.
Now, an internet user has sparked discussion after revealing their espresso martini secret—or did they?
Is this really an espresso martini?
In a video with over 2.5 million views, the TikTok account for Scholars American Bistro and Cocktail Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts writes, “When someone orders an espresso martini during a rush.”
The video then shows a bartender pouring Guinness into a martini glass, then decorating it with espresso beans.
“Looks perfect,” the business writes in the caption.
This business isn’t the first to make such a video, with another bar making a similar video back in 2023.
Are bars really replacing their Espresso Martinis with Guinness?
The espresso martini has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with CNN Business dubbing 2022 the “year of the espresso martini.”
That said, bartenders aren’t always thrilled when you order one, as creating an espresso martini takes a considerable amount of time.
In a Reddit thread on the topic, bartenders were asked whether it was considered “irritating” to order an espresso martini.
One commenter summed up the general consensus: “It’s only irritating when I am swamped, but if I am not busy or mildly busy I will make them.” Another added, “Nuance is key here. At a cocktail bar? Totally acceptable. At a dive or busy club? Probably not but many bars now have the capacity for high volume cocktails so it’s entirely situational.”
But are bars really replacing their espresso martinis with Guinness? The answer is, of course, no.
In a conversation with the Daily Dot, another bar that made a similar video noted that the clip was a joke. And given that the similarity between a Guinness and an espresso martini is solely visual, it would not work to fool any patrons that they were actually ordering an espresso martini.
@scholarsboston Looks perfect 🤩 😉 #downtownboston #restaurant #bartender #bar #bartenderlife #bartenderstories #cocktails #boston #bostontiktoks #servuceindustry #guinness #espressomartini ♬ original sound – seriouslythoughitstrue
Commenters don’t get the joke
In the comments section, users were divided between those who took offense to the video and others who chastised them for not understanding that the clip was a joke.
“There is two tipes of people here, espresso martini drinkers and people that understand a joke,” declared a commenter.
“Actually not funny to joke about something that could make someone really sick but ok,” stated another.
“I would know , I’ve tried Guinness and I DONT like it but I LOVE espresso martinis . Don’t play with my food and drinks pleaseee,” declared a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Scholars American Bistro and Cocktail Lounge via email.
Update 3:23pm ET March 4: In an email to the Daily Dot, Scholars Bar wrote, “We’re excited to see all the buzz that our video has created. We here at Scholars love our Espresso Martinis and are constantly brewing up espresso to make them. We even have seasonal espresso martinis that we have on our cocktail menu (i.e pumpkin espresso martini, white chocolate mocha espresso martini, etc.)”
“The video is meant to be relatable to those that work/have worked in the service industry to poke a little fun since it’s a commonly complained about cocktail amongst bartenders,” they continued. “No bartender here (or anywhere I imagine) would actually make this swap.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
