The Bartender Code That Should Make You Duck

Ah, bartender code. I know it well. I really should, to be honest: Alongside being a freelance writer, I’ve also worked behind bars for well over a decade now. So if I didn’t know what all of these numerical codes that we holler at each other as shorthand meant, I’d be astonishingly bad at my job and a total liability. And I’m not. I think. My colleagues, past and more present, may disagree…

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But I digress! While most bartender codes affect customers in one way or another, there’s one code that you may want to watch out for – because it could mean that some good liquor is about to fly through the air. 

“50!”

If you’ve ever heard a bartender shout the number 50 to another one, keep an eye on what happens next. It’s normally followed by a bottle of booze being thrown from one bartender to another. 50 is, essentially, shorthand for “catch” or “here:” It’s normally yelled across the bar when someone needs a specific alcohol, and they don’t have the time to run to a different person to get it. The person throwing will shout “50,” quickly followed by a glass receptacle hurtling towards the receiver at relatively high speed. 

50 stems from flair bartending, in which mixologists throw their cocktail shakers around and pour them from inordinate heights – you know, the flashy stuff. Personally speaking, I’ve never really gone in for flair bartending (it all feels a bit too focused on me when 20 people are waiting for a drink, and I also can’t deal with the embarrassment of dropping the shaker in front of everyone, which has 100% happened), but I have yelled my fair share of 50’s in my time. If you hear it, though, just be aware that something hard and breakable might be speeding past your head imminently.

“86!”

50 isn’t the only code that bartenders use as shorthand. 86 is perhaps the most famous of them all: It means that we’re out of something on the bar, and we need to let customers know while we replace the keg or bottles in question. It’ll normally sound like “86 vodka!” or “86 Coors Light!” (or a light beer that actually tastes good) yelled at top volume. We also 86 customers, too – it’s a way to say that people should no longer be served, but it’s usually done a bit more subtly.

Conversely, 68 means that whatever was once off is now back on: The bar’s been restocked, and we can carry on making what we need to make. 85, meanwhile, means that something’s almost out, and we should start gently making provisions for it. By gently, I mean that someone should run to the stockroom RIGHT NOW to get what we need, because that line isn’t getting any smaller, damn it.