9 Things That Make Your Bartender Really Mad

It's easy to behave badly in bars — almost too easy. You're drinking, it's a social environment, the lighting is dim and forgiving... you're drinking. But really, guys, that's no excuse to toss all common sense and manners out the window.

"In restaurants, people know how to behave; in bars, people just get sloppy," remarked longtime bartender Angus Winchester during a seminar at last year's Manhattan Cocktail Classic. And while it does indeed seem a little odd for a bar to have its own rules of conduct (and not ironically, either), it's apparently becoming a popular feature at establishments across the world. "No PDA at PDT," is one of the mandates at the renowned New York City neo-speakeasy, for example. (And can you really blame them for such a request? The bar is technically their office, after all.)

But it's not just patrons' drunken, inappropriate shenanigans that get on bartenders' nerves. Often, it can be something as basic as not having your order ready, despite the fact that you've been trying to flag down the bartender for 10 minutes. Or something as illogical (and ridiculous) as asking for Jägerbombs and pitchers of Bud Light at a bar specializing in craft cocktails. Or even simply forgetting to use those two very important words: "please" and "thank you."

Because you shouldn't want to annoy your bartender, here are nine things to avoid doing the next time you're at the local watering hole.