There are a few people I always want on my side: whoever is helping me at the DMV, TSA agents, and bartenders. While I can’t make all those government employees my friend, I do know how to make most bartenders friendlier to me (and maybe even actually befriend them): the Bartender’s Handshake.
No, I’m not suggesting you reach across the bar to literally shake the bartender’s hand. A “bartender’s handshake” is a drink order that signals to your bartender a few things: 1. You’re (likely) not a jerk, and 2. You might also be a bartender, or 3. You’re about to become their favorite regular.
A Bartender’s Handshake is not so much of an official order as it is an ever-changing list of spirits and drinks that, when ordered, show you might know your stuff and are a delight to have in the establishment. Think of it as a bit of a wink, a tip of the cap, and whispering the right password, especially since these are typically what bartenders will serve each other after a long shift.
What is a Bartender’s Handshake?
You can’t necessarily stroll up and order it by name, so don’t slam down your debit card and ask for “The Bartender’s Handshake.” But there are a few agreed-upon standard Bartender’s Handshakes that are worth ordering, if not only to earn the approval of your favorite bartender:
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A Shot of Fernet-Branca (or an Amari Like Cynar and Faccia-Brutto Nocino)
A favorite amaro of many industry folks, minty, licorice-adjacent Fernet-Branca is not for everyone. It’s the absolute best post-dinner drink for those nights you’ve eaten a bit too much and want to settle your stomach. This is roughly the unofficially official definition of a classic Bartender’s Handshake pretty much nationwide, although sometimes a shot Jameson or Fernet + Campari (a.k.a. a Ferrari) are popular orders.
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Underberg
These petite little Alice in Wonderland-looking bottles of herbal bitters are so cute and a favorite of the bartenders at my local spot. Order one for you, one for your favorite bartender, and that’s a beautiful friendship in the making.
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Chartreuse
Produced and made in small batches by literal French monks, Chartreuse is a liqueur made of a blend of 130 plants, barks, flowers, and roots that’s the peppery, pine-y herbal (and bright green!) backbone to cocktails like the Last Word, and yes, it’s also good straight up.
Jeppson’s Malort
Jeppson’s Malört
Okay, many of these Bartender’s Handshakes are acquired tastes, but none more than Jeppson’s Malort, which is popular in Chicago. A wormwood-based aperitif, Jeppson’s Malört is often described as tasting like “burnt tires,” “pepper, then basement,” and “a bite of unripe grapefruit then getting punched in the nose.” A shot of this potent potable would earn a handshake from…really anyone.
What the Bartender’s Handshake certainly is not? It’s not a way to eventually get free drinks. As I said before, a Bartender’s Handshake is communicating that you are, in fact, not a jerk. So behave, tip well and often, and maybe buy your local bartender a shot (or two) this year.
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Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine and if wine was an astrological sign she’d be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She’s never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn’t eat in one sitting.
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Publish date : 2024-07-17 20:35:22
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