A Colorado bartender lamented that some customers ask her a bold question about what she puts in their mixed drinks. She says requesting more alcohol usually backfires, instead offering a trick to get on your bartender’s good side.
In a video with over 32,000 views, TikToker Gabriella Masseran (@gabriellamasseran) rants about customers who tell her to “hook it up” or “make it strong” when ordering their drink.
“Actually, no. Because now I’m going to pour less f—— alcohol in your drink ’cause you just pissed me off,” she remarks. “You’re going to get what you paid for.”
The bartender says that many customers who bug her for a strong pour also tip less, which seems disrespectful after she gives them more alcohol for free.
“I’ve done it a few times when I started bartending, and it never works out,” Masseran continues.
In an Instagram direct message to BroBible, Masseran says she now usually responds by laughing and saying, “That’s crazy,” or “If you give me a good tip.”
Is There A Better Way To Secure Free Drinks?
While she doesn’t appreciate customers asking her for a complementary strong pour, the bartender says she does give out free shots occasionally. However, the extra alcohol is only for customers on their best behavior.
“If you’re cool, if you come up to the bar, if you’re nice and you tip, yeah, I can hook you up with shots,” she says. “I’m trying to make your night better.”
Others on the r/bartenders subreddit agree that only the chillest customers get the benefit of freebees from the bar.
“Sometimes, sometimes a shot, but they gotta earn it imo. Once they start demanding stuff like that fk off, you’ll never get it again,” one wrote.
“I like to give away a few freebies to either regulars or people who’ve come in and spent a lot of money (to keep them spending) but that’s to my discretion,” another shared. “If they start asking or demanding then it’s a hard no.”
However, some say they’ve stopped the practice altogether.
“One reason I stopped was recently after becoming an assistant manager at a nightclub, somebody orders a drink, I serve it and tell them the price,” another said.
A second commented, “Overpouring is frowned upon by management, and in most cases, illegal. Just saying.”
Do Customers Actually Ask Bartenders For Free Drinks?
In the comments of Masseran’s video, many bar-goers said they wouldn’t dream of pestering their bartender for free drinks or strong pours.
“I just asked for a double and pay for a double,” a commenter remarked.
“Big cash tip when you order the first drink, then the next few are a little heavier,” a second wrote, sharing their discreet method.
Other bartenders share what they do when a customer makes the frowned-upon request.
“Short pour charge a dbl when they complain you told me to make it strong so I assumed you asked for a dbl my bad,” one bartender joked.
BroBible previously reported that some bartenders even fake a heavy pour using a discreet hack, which stops customers from complaining and might even secure them a larger tip.
BroBible reached out to Masseran via Instagram and TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update the story when she replies.