Although they’re places where a lot of us like to let loose and have fun, the unfortunate reality is that a lot of unsafe situations can go down at bars.
While saying that might make us picture a violent brawl, so many women can attest that bars and clubs are also places where predators could potentially put them in life-threatening situations .
This sometimes takes the form of surreptitious druggings but it’s sadly just as common for people to end up on dates that end up leaving them feeling unsafe.
Fortunately, more and more bars are adopting a coded way out for these daters in distress and one bartender is now explaining how these codes work.
Before he explained the differences between “angel shots,” a Los Angeles bartender who goes by @benjispears on TikTok acted out a scenario in which a customer might ask for one.
In this re-enactment, he also showed how a bartender knows to check on a patron.
Through a hypothetical conversation with a coworker named Tom, he demonstrates that he’s often watching the body language of patrons and checking for any that seem uncomfortable with the person they’re talking to.
He then goes over to them and offers some water, at which point they might make a request for an angel shot, which he then plays off as just an enjoyable drink so the person’s date doesn’t get suspicious.
But what a customer is really asking for when they order an angel shot is some help out of a situation that doesn’t feel safe.
As the bartender says after his dramatization, “An angel shot is key. It can save you or your best friend’s life.”
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And he also expressed that there are different ways to order one that makes it clear what kind of help a customer needs.
Since the customer in his scenario ordered an angel shot with lime, we’ll go over that one first.
As @benjispears tells it, this means that a person considers their date such a threat that they not only need safe passage out of the bar, but actually need the police to get involved.
It’s for that reason that the bartender makes the excuse that “Tom” needs to bring over some fresh limes for this drink, as he’s actually telling his coworker to call the police.
But of course, there are other options if the situation hasn’t quite escalated to that level.
As the bartender explains, an angel shot neat is a request for one of the bar’s staff to walk you to your vehicle, while an an angel shot on the rocks is a request for them to call an Uber, Lyft, or a taxi.
After outlining these differences, @benjispears made a final statement emphasizing how important they are, saying, “Everyone should know about the angels. It’s just a great way to make sure that we all feel safe.”
