The bartender’s handshake drinks are a set of orders rooted in industry tradition, and knowing them can quietly signal that you understand bar culture far better than the average punter. The term refers not to a single cocktail but to a loose canon of spirits, bitters and liqueurs that bartenders tend to pour for one another after a long shift, and ordering one puts you firmly in that company.
What the Bartender’s Handshake Actually Means
The phrase is industry slang rather than any official menu category. It describes a drink that communicates a few things at once: that you are not going to be a difficult customer, that you may well have worked behind a bar yourself, and that you know the culture well enough to be treated accordingly. Crucially, as the tradition goes, it is not a strategy for extracting free drinks. It is closer to a knowing nod across the bar.
According to Booze Geek South, when a bartender recognises another bartender drinking in their bar, they may send over a free drink or shot as a matter of professional courtesy. The bartender’s handshake order is the cue that sets that recognition in motion. Pair it with a decent tip, and you have done everything right.
The Four Drinks Most Closely Associated With the Tradition
Fernet-Branca is the name most commonly attached to the bartender’s handshake. The amaro is minty and licorice-adjacent, and it divides opinion sharply, which is part of the point. It has a long history as an after-dinner digestif, and its intensity alone tends to signal that whoever is ordering it has spent some time around a serious bar. Some drinkers opt for variations: a shot of Jameson, or a Fernet combined with Campari in what the industry calls a Ferrari. Other amari such as Cynar also fit the spirit of the tradition. You can find out more about the product itself at the Fernet-Branca official site.
Underberg operates differently to the others on this list. The herbal bitters arrive in small individual bottles that look, as one description puts it, straight out of Alice in Wonderland, and they are drunk straight from the bottle as a matter of tradition. That ritual element is a large part of the appeal. If your bartender is permitted to drink on shift, offering to buy them one is entirely within the spirit of the handshake, and that sort of gesture tends to go a long way.
Chartreuse is the most storied option on the list. Made by monks in France from a blend of 130 plants and herbs, it is peppery, piney and deeply herbal, the kind of flavour profile that demands you commit to it. It appears in established cocktails such as the Last Word and is also commonly sipped straight. You can learn more at Chartreuse‘s official site. Ordering it at the bar signals a level of curiosity about spirits that most casual drinkers simply do not have.
Jeppson’s Malört is, by some distance, the most confrontational choice on this list. The wormwood-based aperitif from Chicago has built a reputation for being genuinely difficult to drink, with descriptions of its flavour ranging from ‘burnt tires’ to ‘pepper, then basement’ and ‘a bite of unripe grapefruit then getting punched in the nose.’ Ordering a shot of Malört will earn a reaction from almost anyone in the building, and often a degree of respect to go with it.
More Than a Novelty Order
The bartender’s handshake drinks work because they carry context. None of these spirits appear on a standard drinks list, and none of them are the kind of thing ordered on impulse. Walking up to the bar and asking for a shot of Fernet-Branca or a bottle of Underberg immediately places you in a different category from the Friday-night crowd, and an experienced bartender will notice.
The tradition ultimately rests on the idea that the best way to be treated well at a bar is to demonstrate that you understand how bars work: order something that reflects genuine knowledge, tip properly, and let the rest follow naturally. The handshake is just the opening move.