Two Brilliant Ways Bartenders Deal With Drunk Customers

Bartenders have to thread a narrow needle: It's their job to provide alcohol to people who are (often) looking to get a little drunk, but they also have to know when customers are too drunk to be served any more. And when you tell a drunk person that he or she has had too much to drink, don't be surprised if you find yourself a new worst enemy. So how to bartenders deal with drunk customers who have had too much? This question was posted to Quora, and here's how some veteran bartenders weighed in:

"If a customer was getting too drunk before cutting them off, I would pour them a non-alcoholic beer and tell them "it's on the house". When they were done with that beer, I would then say... "Hey do me a favor.. after this beer have a glass of water, I don't want you to get a hangover!" Usually in that time frame, they would realize they were getting too drunk and leave. I always preferred this method over cutting people off, as they would resist it. I would try to take steps so they would think that leaving the bar was their idea, not mine." – Collette Mclafferty

"To stall a person who is over limit without having to cut them off, with mixed drinks, you pour the cocktail mixers as normal, but for the alcohol, you "float" a splash of liquor on the top of the cocktail. The drink then *smells* like booze, which is probably the most important element in making a drunk think they are still drinking, but the actual alcohol content is minimal." – Michael Chan