How Bartenders Around the World Identify Americans

That thick twang, tube socks and Tevas, and Garfield-themed fanny pack aren’t the only dead giveaways that you’re an American on vacation. Around the world, bartenders have picked up on a few ways in which we Americans give ourselves away—from our tipping habits to our taste in liquor. For better or for worse, here’s how international bartenders identify an American.

Americans Know Their Booze

“We can often identify an American by how passionate they are about cocktails. We find them confidently ordering an Old Fashioned, often with rye. An American’s fondness for tequila also rarely goes unnoticed. They know the good stuff and aren’t afraid to get stuck in—be it with a shot, a top shelf sipper or a boozy stirred style.” — Zara Young, The Everleigh, Melbourne, Australia

“Most of them have a good knowledge about cocktail history, especially New Orleans classics.” — Zoltán Nagy, Boutiq’Bar, Budapest, Hungary

“I think the most tell tale sign for most of us is when an obviously foreign guest sits down and goes, ‘Oh my god you have High West/Willett/E.H. Taylor here?’ They start asking very specifically for our bourbon list.” — Charmaine Thio, 28 HongKong Street, Singapore

“Americans do seem to be educated drinkers and they enjoy classic cocktails and appreciate craft ice.” — Zhenia Samoletoff, Delicatessen, Moscow, Russia

“They like their Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Vodka Martinis.” — Bar Shira, Imperial Craft Cocktail Bar and La Otra, Tel Aviv, Israel

“A large proportion of our friends across the pond have very refined preferences. If they’re after a Manhattan, it will be a Rittenhouse Manhattan. If they’re after an IPA, it’ll be a West Coast Double IPA.” — Alen Nikolovski, Shady Pines Saloon, Sydney, Australia

Americans Are Outgoing

“Sometimes I identify Americans by the way they look at you, like they know you. Americans are not afraid to go alone to a cocktail bar (that's weird in France) and they actually do like to sit at the bar! It's amazing how Americans can make friends easily in a bar—they're not afraid to talk to anyone.” — Ivan Avellaneda, Candelaria, Paris, France

“They are eager to communicate with the staff and are always curious about what we offer in that specific bar. Americans are some of the best guests that you can ever have.” — Yunus Yildiz, Himok, Oslo, Norway

“Besides their friendliness and the fact that they are relaxed and go with the flow, they like to talk the way they feel—no playing around—I really appreciate that.” — Martina Breznanova, The Gibson, London, UK

“They aren’t afraid to come in, sit at the bar and engage by themselves.” — Alen Nikolovski

“Many American guests bring an infectious sort of energy to the bar. They more often than not have a great chat with us and are open to making friends with other guests.” — Charmaine Thio

Americans Love to Be Dazzled

“The way to an American heart is through humor and theater. The fact that great service, a big smile and a conversation does wonders every single time makes them some of my favorite guests.” — Timo Janse, Door 74, Amsterdam, Netherlands

“They adapt really fast to a holiday attitude. They always say ‘Ohhhh that’s amazing!’” — Vasilis Kyritsis, The Clumsies, Athens, Greece

“They get excited very easily about anything. But the best tools to trigger their adrenaline are flaming cocktails, tiki drinks, smoke and flashy techniques such as throwing.” — Zhenia Samoletoff

“There are Americans in a bar when you hear a lot of the word ‘aaamazing.’" — Ivan Avellaneda

Americans Don’t Use Their Inside Voices

“Americans tend to speak in a very high volume with a disregard to their surroundings and the volume of others speaking around them.” — Bar Shira

“They’re sometimes loud, but never aggressive.” — Timo Janse

“Yes, they are loud, but we’re a loud bar and welcome it with open arms.” — Alen Nikolovski

“They have a common thing [with] Greeks: They love to speak as loudly as we do.” — Vasilis Kyritsis

Americans Are Good Tippers

“They are excellent tippers, that is they tip like they do at home.” — Bar Shira

“They tip our bartenders a lot, especially when they have a great cocktail.” — Vasilis Kyritsis

“While they tip generously, they do give a sigh of relief at learning that it is not the obligatory 20 percent of the bill.” — Zhenia Samoletoff

Americans Can Be Just a Little Bit Annoying at Times

“They don’t drink tap water.” — Zoltán Nagy

"Once they hear someone speak a bit of English, they start to talk to you as if you were a native speaker, and that can be problematic for some people.” — Ivan Avellaneda

“Americans will let you know that they are Americans. They place drink orders and after their order during the evening they will tell you, ‘You know, we are American!’” — Klaus St. Rainer, Goldene Bar, Munich, Germany

“You know you are dealing with an American guest when they ask you for the WiFi password before the menu.” — Thanos Prunarus, Baba Au Rum, Athens, Greece