How Much To Tip Your Bartender, And Tricks Bartenders Use To Make More Money

I was going to originally post about this article found on Thrillist that talked about how much you should tip your bartender based on what you order. Here is the breakdown of that article:

1. If you're ordering a beer, usually $1 is fine. But $2 is more appropriate if you're ordering at a more upscale place. Nope, you're pouring something. That's it. You get a dollar.
2. If you order a cocktail tip at least $2, or $3 if it takes awhile to make. This one I agree with, with an exception. If you order a Bloody Mary and the bartender makes a fantastic Bloody Mary, tip appropriately. If it's tomato juice and vodka, you get a buck.
3. If you're drinking something non-alcoholic, still tip them a dollar. No! I'm not tipping a dollar for water or a soda.
4. If they give you a free drink, tip them DOUBLE on your next drink. I could not agree more with this one. If I'm tipping $1 per drink, I'd actually probably give $3 if they saved me the price of a whole drink.
5. If you order multiple drinks or shots, tip at least 20% of the whole bill. This I would probably do without even thinking about it. I never usually pay for individual drinks anyway, so most of this doesn't apply to me. I open a tab and tip at the end, and I tip based on service. Good service, 20%, okay service 10-15%, piss poor service, you get the change that rounds my bill up to the next dollar.

Now, while at Thrillist reading this article, I also found an article about how bartenders can cheat you out of money. Here is the list:

1. Pouring top shelf, unrequested. If I order a drink with liquor, I always make sure to say what brand I want.
2. Not mentioning automatic gratuity. I believe this is usually on the bill if gratuity is included, but see number 6.
3. Icing your drink down. This is the main reason I drink beer or whiskey neat when I'm out.
4. Using fewer liquors than the drink calls for. Again, see number 3.
5. Skimping on the mixers. Yup, right back to number 3.
6. Closing you out without an itemized bill. Always get an itemized bill before you sign off on your payment. 
7. Mysteriously raising the price when people don't tip. This is why you want an itemized bill, so you know exactly how much each drink was.
8. Adding water to your rocks drink. Head right back up to number 3.
9. Pouring Smirnoff into a Belvedere bottle. I'm fortunate enough that when I order a drink I can tell what it is. The light beers maybe not so much. But If I'm ordering whiskey or a craft beer I'm familiar with, I can probably tell if I'm getting screwed.