People, it’s time you get your bar manners right. Here’s what to keep in mind

Bar experts share tips on how to party right, down a few drinks and still be at your best behaviour.

There are still three days left for the weekend to begin. Three days for you to plan a night out of great music, fun with friends, and for many, rounds of drinks. And guess what? Three days for you to get bar manners right — everything from how to treat the bartender to the tip you give with the bill, and letting others enjoy as well. Here are the golden rules, from the industry peeps:

Patience is a virtue

Be as polite with the bartenders, as they are with you.

“People should realise that when a bartender takes your order, he might already be making a drink and so yours might take time. Don’t shout ‘me, me, me’, give the bartender some time,” says Ryan Rajput, bartender.

Mixologist Gaurav Dhyani adds that bartenders also hate it when a customer snaps their fingers. “If we are polite to you, you should be polite to us too. Don’t snap your fingers and don’t behave rudely; if it gets out of hand, we don’t hesitate in asking bartenders to step in.”

Tip well or don’t!

Don’t be a stingy patron, tip well.

“There’s no point in giving Rs 10 or Rs 20 as tip. Be generous enough to shell out 10% of your bill or just forgo tipping the bartender,” says Dhyani.

The bartender is not Cupid

Don’t ask the bartender to deliver free drinks or messages for you.

Want to try your luck with that hottie at the bar? Approach him or her yourself. “Single men, you’ve got to learn to leave the girl alone. Don’t put bartenders in a fix. He won’t know how to say no to you, but he sure doesn’t want to be your messenger,” says Rajput.

Keep it down

Be a responsible drinker, don’t disturb others.

Your drink and your volume, both. Drunk customers are a bartender’s nightmare come alive. “When you’re so drunk you can’t hold your drink, we have to stop serving you. And that’s embarrassing for the patron and us,” he adds.

Don’t smuggle drinks inside a club

This one’s a sure no-no. “Patrons think we don’t find out, but we do understand that you have your own liquor if you ask us for extra coke. While we understand that most customers only do it for a kick, we can be strict about it,” says Rajput.