| Self-Defense for Your Cocktail |
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 A cocktail in New York will cost you--no joke. There are dive bars where my usual Ketel 1 on the rocks with a lemon is only $6, but I’ve paid twice that amount at certain places. So, there is nothing worse than having your drink thrown away at a bar when you leave your spot to either take a smoke break outside, or visit the loo.People on the West Coast signal to their bartender that they're not done with the drink and would like to hold their spot at a bar--usually by placing a coaster or paper napkin over the top of the drink. However, it has come to my attention that doing this on the East Coast will most likely get your drink thrown away! While out one night, I got up to use the restroom and put my napkin over my drink. When I got back, my boyfriend asked me why I did that if I wasn’t done. In his all-knowing tone-of-voice, he said he took it off for me (like he saved the day—which he kind of did). Me, being the skeptic that I am, did not believe him. I thought for sure he was getting it mixed up. I’ve been frequenting bars for almost four years now and have never been corrected on this action.  To throw away or not to throw away? Always let the bartender know the status of your drink if you must leave the bar. “It means you're done. I always know when people aren’t from around here because they do that and then act surprised when they come back and their drink is gone,” he said in his thick New York accent. Still, that was not good enough for me. I watched people place objects over their drinks as they went out to smoke, so I started asking them what it meant to them and where they were from. Sure enough, they thought it held their spot at the bar and not one of them was from New York. But then I found that the more people I asked, the more my theory was less concrete. I found a bartender near Times Square who was from Westchester, NY and she agreed with the West Coast meaning. Then, there was a man at the same bar who was also from New York but said it meant you are done. Then I got to thinking, how can people have two opposite understandings on what a coaster over the drink means? Naturally a Google search was needed. And this is what I found. Back in the day, before smoking was outlawed in bars, people put either a straw, napkin, or cardboard coaster over their drink to let the bartender know they were done. However, (probably originating on the West Coast where California was one of the first states to outlaw smoking in bars) a napkin over a drink means that you’ll be right back. Even after my Google search, I found mixed definitions of the act and found that the best, and most surefire way to make sure your drink does not get thrown away while you take care of whatever business pulls you away from the bar—is to tell the bartender you’ll be right back if you’re going out to smoke. If you’re done, say goodbye and leave a tip under the drink. Trust me, communication is key especially when it comes to protecting that drink that can cost as much as some people make by the hour. |
