Question 1

A common saying among consumers of alcohol goes "Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear." Is this a good rule to follow when serving customers?

Accepted Answer

The "beer before liquor" saying is not a good rule to follow because it is not the bartender/server's decision.
This question is a bit tricky, since there is actually some truth to the "beer before liquor" saying - hard liquor comes in a higher concentration of alcohol and essentially creates a mixed drink inside the stomach when it is consumed right after beer. However, this doesn't necessarily mean a customer will get sick (especially since you should be monitoring the amount he or she has to drink anyway), and he or she should have the freedom to order what he or she wants if he or she is not intoxicated.

Question 2

A visibly intoxicated customer gets his car keys out and says he is going to drive home. What sign of intoxication is being shown here?

Accepted Answer

By thinking he is able to drive home, the intoxicated customer is showing signs of impaired judgment.
A lot of people tend to ask intoxicated individuals if they are "OK to drive," as though that person is fully capable of deciding for him or herself. Intoxication tends to result in poor judgment, so it is common for drunk people to really think they are OK to drive when they are not. As a bartender/server, it is your responsibility to step in and see that they find another way home.

Question 3

Alcohol is absorbed throughout the digestive system, but where is it actually broken down and metabolized?

Accepted Answer

The liver is the only organ that actually breaks down and metabolizes alcohol.
Sure, alcohol is absorbed all along the digestive tract, from the mouth to the intestines. However, it is not until after it is absorbed into the bloodstream that it eventually reaches the liver and can be broken down (through a process called oxidation). This is why people can have liver problems from consuming too much alcohol on a regular basis.

Question 4

After serving a customer alcohol, Brandon notices that her face has become flushed and blotchy. What should he do?

Accepted Answer

Brandon should do nothing about the customer's flushed face, since it is actually a genetic reaction that does not necessarily mean she is intoxicated.
Getting a flushed face when consuming alcohol (even small amounts of alcohol) is a result of the body's accumulation of a substance called acetaldehyde, which comes from the metabolism of alcohol. A person with a genetic deficiency accumulates higher quantities of it, which causes his or her skin to become flushed and blotchy. Thanks to centuries of evolution and genetic pairing, this reaction is most common in people of Asian descent.

Question 5

At what point should you start counting the number of drinks a customer has had?

Accepted Answer

You should start counting a customer's drinks when you first start serving him or her, from their first drink to their last.
If you have difficulty keeping a mental count, a good way to keep track is to keep tally marks on a piece of paper. If the customer has a tab open, put in each drink after you serve it and check the amount occasionally. Keeping records will also help you in certain legal situations, such as when a customer goes from your establishment to another (or multiple other establishments) and then gets into a car accident or other alcohol-related incident.

Question 6

What does having a "high alcohol tolerance" really mean?

Accepted Answer

A person with a high alcohol tolerance is able to consume higher amounts of alcohol without showing the visible signs of intoxication.
Please note that having a high alcohol tolerance does not mean that the person will not get intoxicated. In fact, someone may seem perfectly fine after having several drinks only to leave the bar and get into a car accident. This is why it is so important to monitor the amount someone is drinking, not just whether or not he or she appears to be getting drunk.

Question 7

In order to accurately count the number of drinks a customer has had, what do you need to know?

Accepted Answer

The only way to accurately count the number of drinks a customer has had is to know the number of ounces of alcohol he or she has been served.
For example, a "double" is served in one glass, but it counts as two drinks. One standard drink is defined in the United States as 14 grams or 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of distilled liquors (spirits).

Question 8

What should you offer customers to help prevent dehydration from alcohol?

Accepted Answer

To prevent dehydration from alcohol, be sure to offer your customers water.
No fluid hydrates the human body better than water, and as a plus it also helps to dilute alcohol. Things like soda and juice contain extra sugars and other ingredients that prevent them from offering full hydration, and they take longer for the body to metabolize.

Question 9

You are serving two customers: one who is also ordering a big meal in addition to alcohol and one who is only ordering cocktails. Assuming all other factors are the same, is one of them going to get more intoxicated than the other?

Accepted Answer

Assuming all other factors are the same, a customer eating a big meal while consuming alcohol will get intoxicated at a slower rate than a customer who is only consuming alcohol.
Does this mean you can serve the customer with a meal more alcohol? Not necessarily. Food helps absorb some of the alcohol before the bulk of it goes into the bloodstream, so what this really means is that you should more closely monitor a customer who is not eating anything and just drinking, since he or she is more likely to get intoxicated at a faster rate.

Question 10

How many drinks are in a standard pitcher (about 60ounces) of beer?

Accepted Answer

There are about five drinks in a standard pitcher of beer.
Some beer pitchers are of course larger or smaller, but most hold about 60 ounces, which translates to five drinks. This is important to know when you are serving pitchers of beer to a group of people, since you can better keep track of how much alcohol they are consuming.

Question 11

If a customer is taking breaks between drinks to prevent intoxication, how long would he or she ideally have to wait between each drink to ensure it leaves their system?

Accepted Answer

A person would ideally have to wait 60 minutes between each drink to ensure the alcohol leaves their system.
It takes approximately one hour (60 minutes) for one serving of alcohol to be fully metabolized by the human body. So, a person looking to prevent intoxication would ideally have to wait an hour between each drink.

Question 12

Genetics can affect the rate at which a person becomes intoxicated.

Accepted Answer

It is true that genetics can affect how fast a person becomes intoxicated.
It is also true that genetics can affect a person's reaction to alcohol, and some people get face flushes or even stomach pains as a result. However, as a server of alcohol you should neither judge nor determine how a customer's genetic makeup may affect him or her (doing so could actually be viewed as discrimination). What is your responsibility, however, is to monitor the amount your customers are consuming and any signs of intoxication they may show.

Question 13

How much alcohol is in the standard "shot"?

Accepted Answer

A standard shot contains between .5 and .75 ounces of pure alcohol.
There is no specific standard in the U.S. for how large a "shot" of alcohol should be, but generally speaking it is between 1 and 1.5 fluid ounces. This translates to between .5 and .75 ounces of pure alcohol.

Question 14

You have one customer who is drinking a Long Island Iced Tea and another who is drinking a glass of red wine. Assuming they start and finish their drinks within the same amount of time, who- if anyone- is going to have the higher BAC?

Accepted Answer

Out of one person drinking a Long Island Iced Tea and another drinking a glass of red wine within the same time period, the person drinking the Long Island Iced Tea is more likely to have a higher BAC.
Some popular cocktails, like the Long Island Iced Tea, have much higher amounts of alcohol than the average drink. In fact, a typical Long Island Iced Tea contains between four and five servings of alcohol. It is important to be aware of these things so you can properly monitor the amount of alcohol your customers are drinking.

Question 15

What does "impaired judgment" mean?

Accepted Answer

"Impaired judgment" refers to the loss of a person's ability to make reasonable, safe decisions.
While other signs of intoxication may be more obvious, you should still be on the lookout for indicators of impaired judgment. For example, a person doing things that are foolish or dangerous is demonstrating impaired judgment. Impaired judgment can lead to fights and drunk driving, which is why it is so important that you understand it.

Question 16

When chatting with customers, what are some important things you can learn about them that may influence how much (or how little) alcohol you should serve them?

Accepted Answer

When chatting with customers, you can learn important things such as how much they are planning on drinking, their mental state, and even whether or not they are on medication, all of which can influence their reaction to alcohol.
Learning to chat with customers about these things does take some skill (you should never just outright ask about these things, since doing so can come across as rude and intrusive). However, bartenders/servers often learn to bring up these subjects casually in conversation ("Hi. I noticed you have some medication out. Would you like some water?"), though a customer's mental state can often be observed from visual cues.

Question 17

Which of the following customers is especially in need of a glass of water with his or her drink?

Accepted Answer

A customer drinking a "neat" or "straight up" alcoholic beverage is particularly in need of a glass of water with their drink.
Drinks served "neat" or "straight up" consist of liquor in glasses without ice or any mixer added to them. This means that there is nothing to dilute the alcohol, which makes it easier for the customer to get intoxicated more quickly, not to mention dehydrated. To help prevent this, always offer these customers a glass of water with their drink, though it is a good idea to just go ahead and set it right in front of them.

Question 18

What is the best thing to do if a customer wants to order multiple drinks at a time for his or herself?

Accepted Answer

If a customer is ordering multiple drinks at once, the best thing to do is politely tell him or her you can only serve him or her one at a time.
"Double fisting" drinks may be popular at college parties, but it's not really acceptable in most dining/drinking establishments. There is no law against it, but to prevent over-serving guests it is best to only serve each of them one drink at a time. When they're drinking at a slower pace, they'll get intoxicated at a slower pace as well.

Question 19

Your manager tells you that he or she is setting up a "traffic light system" for serving guests alcohol. What does this most likely refer to?

Accepted Answer

A "traffic light system" in an establishment that serves alcohol usually refers to a system used to gauge how intoxicated guests are getting and therefore how much you should serve them.
Traffic light systems come with pre-determined rules for determining whether a customer is sober (green), getting a little intoxicated (yellow), or fully intoxicated (red). Green customers can be served, whereas yellow customers should slow down and red customers should be cut off entirely.

Question 20

Out of the following customers, who should you be the most concerned about?

Accepted Answer

You should be most concerned about a customer who appears to be falling asleep.
A customer in this state may not simply be falling asleep - he or she may be passing out due to intoxication. In this case it is possible that he or she may need medical attention for alcohol poisoning, so you should always take this situation seriously (and of course do everything possible to prevent it from happening in the first place).

Quiz 7: Intoxication