How those in the know get a ‘bartender’s handshake’

I really dislike the phrase “If you know, you know.” It’s gone from being an indicator of an inside joke to smug I-know-something-you-don’t energy. We’re overusing it: I don’t think Instagram stories about any menu item at Gail’s needs to be punctuated with IYKYK. It’s a chain. Trust me, we know.

Surely blurting out IYKYK defeats the purpose. The first rule of a secret is, you don’t boast about having it. Any fun little thing worth gatekeeping needs to be between you and a select few. The ones who know… know. It’s an indicator of a strong community rather than a sign of open exclusion.

A “bartender’s handshake” is a special sign of recognition, a knowing wink. A drink offered up in acknowledgement or admiration to certain customers. They range from a shared nod between bartenders to recipients who could be regarded as downright niche. I hear that the John Snow pub in Soho has a secret drink given to epidemiologists who attend the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (so secret that not even I was able to wangle one).

The professionals I ask tell me that an insider-only drink needs to be three things. It must be easy to whack out in the middle of a busy shift, no faff. It needs to be cost-effective, perhaps a simple shot of something of amazing quality, or something already prepared, like a pre-batch cocktail or a beer. And it should be thoughtful, sincere and heartfelt.

One of the most commonly recognised bartender’s handshakes is a shot of Fernet-Branca, an enthusiastically bitter Italian amaro that is usually served neat. If you haven’t had it, the closest I can get to describing it is that it tastes like a Victorian medicine that was in wide circulation before modern medical practice saw it pulled because of high levels of something powerful and illegal. It’s herbal and bitter. It puts hair on your chest and fire in your throat. It’s strong enough to propel you into a long evening. It’s also an extremely acquired taste that requires an experienced palate to appreciate, perhaps why it is so readily dispensed as a bartender’s handshake. It might be delivered mixed with equal parts Campari, to make a Ferrari.

“The best industry handshakes are built on community and friendship,” says bar consultant Leah Smith. At the industry-favourite dive bar All My Gods in Bethnal Green, she recently served a quick beer and a shot for any fellow industry professionals stopping off on an east London bar crawl. At another recent job, the handshake was a wee measure of force-carb Paloma (what did I tell you the other week about the Paloma being the new “it” drink?)

Spenser Paul of Mikey’s Bar in Melbourne, Australia, adds a special item to his handshake. For the price of AU$10(about £5), Spenser will give you “The Special”, which consists of a Crown Lager – “a classic old-person Australian beer” – and a loose cigarette. I’m not too sure which brand of cigarette is offered at Mikey’s Bar, but I’m sure for many bartenders (smokers and non-smokers alike) on a big night out, it will come as a welcome punctuation mark in the evening. Oh, go on then!