Via iStockphoto / @shaylaalala TikTok
A bartender has gone viral after sharing and demonstrating the meaning of 'splitting shots' at a bar. No everyone is a fan.
Ordering shots is pretty standard practice at a bar. But in one viral TikTok, a bartender shared a little-known trick some customers do, known as “splitting shots.”
In the video, which has amassed 358,400 views, bartender Shayla Sinclair (@shaylaalala) did a demonstration on how to split shots.
As she laid out five glasses, she said, “Say you order three shots, but you say you want them five ways. So now, three shots five ways.”
As she did this, she distributed the three shots she poured out across two other glasses, making five even glasses of shots in total.
But she had a disclaimer. “That example is for illustration purposes only,” she said. “I would never take the shot and divvy it up that way, but that’s so you know, it’s the same amount of liquid you get in three shots, but it’s amongst five different glasses.”
BroBible reached out to Shayla via email.
Recession Indicator?
Many commenters were adamant that this wasn’t the right way to order drinks at a bar.
“Who the h— would ask for this?” one asked.
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” another added. “People actually ask for this?”
While a third queried, “Are people really ordering this? Is this a recession indicator?”
And a fourth wrote, “As a bartender… I’m not doing that. If you want to be cheap you can share the shot glass.”
Meanwhile, a fifth remarked how the TikToker had “done p—– off the whole internet.” And a sixth remarked, “Now that Ive see the example, I am even more annoyed.”
What Is The History Behind Splitting Shots?
As explained on VinePair, the concept of “splitting shots” is related to South Carolina’s infamous “mini-bottle” law. The law, which was in effect between 1976 and 2006, essentially mandated that all alcoholic drinks should be made with a sealed 1.7-ounce mini liquor bottle.
Using exclusively mini-bottles to make drinks had a knock-on effect on South Carolina drinking culture. When a customer ordered shots, they would be asked how many ways they wanted the mini bottle to be split, whether that be “one two ways” (i.e. one bottle being split into two glasses) or “two three ways (i.e. two bottles in three glasses). While the mini-bottle law is no longer a thing, it seems like the legacy of the custom continues.
In a Reddit post discussing the concept, bartenders didn’t seem to be a fan.
“TIL If someone ever asks for a drink ‘2+ ways’, the proper response is ‘This isn’t South Carolina.’,” one quipped. “It’ll work for all of us who don’t work in South Carolina.”
While a second added: “I was today years old when I learned this was a thing but yeah no, order two shots don’t be cheap.”
So, if you ever want to buy a shot for the bartender, you’re best off not splitting it.
@shaylaalala Replying to @ruralbirdcam splitting shots