Bartender Shares How You Can Tell If Your Bartender Knows What They’re Doing—It Has Everything To Do With The Limes

There’s apparently a quick way to discern whether or not your bartender is a fraud: Watch how they cut limes.

At least that’s what the Dirty Martini cocktail bar in Manchester has professed in this widely shared TikTok. In the clip, a bartender demonstrates what they say is the absolute wrong way to slice a lime. They begin by cutting the citrus sphere in half. They proceed to cut along its white membranes, leaving them with four separate pieces by the end of the video.

“How to tell a bartender lied about their bar experience,” Dirty Martini Manchester writes in a text overlay superimposed over the TikTok. Furthermore, they explained why this is an erroneous way of slicing a lime in a caption for the post. “Wasteful and no prep no nothing,” they penned.

‘The More I Think About It The More It Upsets Me’

BroBible spoke with Harry Kaufman (@nerdyharrybartending), a bartender for the two-time Michelin-star restaurant Odo in New York City and founder of Cocktail Legion.

After seeing Dirty Martini’s post, he concurred that this was indeed a bad cut and broke down why. “You should make a slice through the halves so when you cut the wedges they’re already slit properly to fit on the side of the glass. Also I cut into six, not four because those wedges [in the video] are too big,” he said.

Additionally, Kaufman found that the person cutting the limes was “so slow” compared to a seasoned bartender.

So what does a masterful lime cut look like? According to Kaufman, a “real pro … [would] cut off the white tip of the wedges.” This not only makes the garnish “look neater” but also performs an important function, as well. “When you squeeze the juice it doesn’t fly everywhere,” he clarified.

He concluded, “My actual first thought was ‘this is fine,’ but the more I think about it the more it upsets me.”

How To Cut Limes Like A Bartender

Kaufman’s lemon and lime cutting protocols are echoed by others. Instructables published a step-by-step illustrated guide on how folks should go about dicing up their limes. The outlet urges folks to grab a cutting board and a “sharp pairing knife” to prep their citrusy garnishes.

Next, take your washed lemons or limes and place them on the cutting board, and begin trimming their ends, exposing their white middle membrane and juicy insides. Following this, you cut the lime lengthwise, with the trimmed-top edge facing upward. Afterward, split the center of the lime, down the membrane, but don’t cut through it completely. As Instructables writes, this allows bartenders (both at home and pros) to affix the piece of fruit to a glass.

Then, lay one of the lime halves face down on the cutting board and begin to slice them into segments. You can make them as thin or thick as you like. The size of the lime, along with an establishment or bartender’s preferred girth, will determine how many slices each half-life will yield.

Typically, garnishes should be prepped prior to a rush of customers so they can be on hand once bartenders hit a groove and serve up spirits to thirsty guests.

Who’s Responsible For Cutting The Limes?

Viewers had their own lime-cutting opinions. One remarked that when they started working as a bartender, they were tasked with perfecting the art of the prep. “That’s so funny. When I trained the first thing I had to do was hours of prep. Cutting limes was the first thing I learned before making any drinks,” they wrote.

But there were others who stated that veteran bartenders aren’t tasked with preparatory work.

“As a bartender … my bar back cuts my limes. Thanks,” one said.

Another corroborated this opinion, writing, “The fact you’re actually cutting limes. A truly experienced bartender knows you get someone else to do it.”

And another viewer speculated that the reason businesses don’t want to give chunky cuts of limes to its customers is to maximize earnings.

“It’s the correct way for cutting limes at home. But since bars are for profit they need to make 20 slices out of one lime for max profitability,” they claimed.

BroBible has reached out to Dirty Martini Manchester.