Via iStockphoto / @pockets4bees TikTok
A bartender reveals that after nearly a decade in the business she finally served two customers a 'mat shot.'
Two men walk up to the bar and order a “mat shot” each. This is not a joke setup, and that really is as gross as it sounds.
TikTok creator Ash (@pockets4bees) is the bartender who served the “mat shots” and recorded the experience for posterity.
“First time in 8 years of bartending that someone specifically asked for two mat shots,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
What Did These 2 Men Order?
The video starts with Ash discussing the proposition with her customers. “Don’t worry, this is free,” she tells one of them.
Then, she picks up one of the bar mats in front of her and funnels its contents into a tiny plastic cup. The video cuts to Ash serving the two shots and then men drinking them.
“And on a full moon, too,” Ash wrote in the caption. “So that makes sense.”
What Is A ‘Mat Shot?’
The discussion in the comments section includes equal parts revulsion and fascination.
“Mat shots are like a drop of every alcohol you served???” wrote one incredulous viewer.
“I’m about to throw the [expletive] up,” wrote a second person.
“Is this a sign of inflation?” joked a third person.
Someone else discussed the practical implications. “If I knew for a fact the mats got cleaned every single night, I might try it,” they wrote. “But since I highly doubt they are, that’s just asking for some type of illness.”
Ash clarified that the mats are indeed sanitary. “They’re cleaned every night!” she wrote.
Are ‘Mat Shots’ A Real Thing? And, Again, Why?
According to VinePair, the “mat shot” is also known as the “Jersey Turnpike” and by half a dozen other nicknames. But the basic premise is the same: Dribble the liquid collected in the bar mats over the course of the evening into a shot glass.
Bartenders discussed this in a thread posted to Reddit’s r/bartenders two years ago. “I’ve heard it given many names,” the OP wrote. “My personal favorite is the New Jersey Turnpike, in reference to where you’ll end up after drinking it.”
One person wrote, “We call it ‘The Birthday Shot’ and give it to those insufferable adults that demand free [expletive] just because it’s their birthday.”
Another person said, “My first post shift [drink] after training was a ‘mat shot’ they called it a ‘grey snail.’”
@pockets4bees And on a full moon too so that makes sense
BroBible contacted Ash via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.