Strangest Encounters in the Bartending World

Bartending is more than just serving drinks; it's a platform for encountering some of the most memorable and bizarre stories. From suitcase fulls of cash to a stranger ordering an unexpected cocktail, the experiences bartenders share are as diverse as they are unique.

A Bartender’s Night in a City Pub

Back in my younger years, I worked in a pub just outside the city center, right next to a bustling road with rows of car showrooms and eateries. My day job ended at 5 PM, and then I rushed over to the pub for the evening shift. The day was long and tiring, but the nights were filled with stories that only a bartender could share. My manager was strict, so I had the responsibility to run two separate bars: a snug/lounge and a bar that opened directly from it for the after-work crowd.

Onerous Duties and Nightly Visitors

Managing both bars meant I had to frequently shuttle between them to ensure neither place was left unattended. On many evenings, I would hear the tap running, and customers would lean over the bar to self-serve.
I recall one night when an evening was as ordinary as the others, but a peculiar event would come to define my night. One customer I remember as Rory left a very heavy suitcase behind. It was a Friday night, so I didn’t concern myself with the weight, only that it was inconvenient. It crossed my mind that it could contain something valuable or even dangerous, but I never thought to open it.

A Surprising Discovery

The next morning, at 10:30 AM, the same man returned to the pub, asking if he had left a suitcase behind. I retrieved it, and a moment later he hauled the case onto the nearest table, flipped open the latches, and revealed what was inside: a case stuffed with folding banknotes, likely tens of thousands of pounds. He closed the case, turned, and left without so much as a ‘thank you.’ It was my first and perhaps only experience with a nightmarishly large sum of cash discovered in a pub environment.

A Bartender’s First Encounter with a Boiler Maker

Despite the wealth of stories, the cocktail industry often has its surprises. For instance, the first time I ordered a Boiler Maker, it was a significant event. I was raised in a dry county in the South, and I only moved to New York to work as a bartender at my brother-in-law's pub in Queens. It was a revelation for me when a regular customer ordered a Boiler Maker, a cocktail made with Irish whiskey, cocoa liqueur, and milk. So, I had to ask another bartender what it was.

What was even stranger was that I had missed such a classic cocktail for so long. Boiler Makers are an archetypal Irish drink, and the memory of the event is etched in my bartending career, a reminder of the diversity and richness of the beverage world.

Conclusion: Bartending offers a unique window into the human experience, often intertwining the mundane and the extraordinary. These stories not only make for great anecdotes but also shape our identities as bartenders, adding layers of understanding and empathy to our profession.