To expect barman to know what a lemon and lime is.

[girlfriend44]

Couldn't believe it today. Had this drink loads with no problem.

Barman had no clue what a lemon and lime was. Gave up and ordered something else, a coffee instead.

OMG, that takes me back about 40 years or so.

Maybe it's a regional thing? I'm a 49 year old Londoner and I've never heard anyone order a "lemon & lime", even when I worked as a barmaid. Most people wanting a lemonade with lime cordial would just ask for a lemonade with lime cordial.

Add a dash of bitters and it's a great drink. Lime, soda and bitters is also great on a hot day

Its literally Whisky and Ginger Wine....lethal.

Gin and Dubonett was the Queen Mothers favourite and they are lethal too!

I have asked for a lemon and lime in Cheshire, Wolverhampton, Cornwall and every bar person knew what I wanted.

Never heard of it. Used to drink lime and soda back in the day though, 20p a pint

By "bitters", do you mean Angostura bitters? That would be my assumption, but I'd probably want to double check to make sure.

My friend ordered a Malibu and pineapple once which is quite retro I guess. The bar staff didn’t have a clue.

You explained to him you wanted a glass of lemonade with a dash of lime cordial (if that's what it is), and he couldn't understand what you meant by that explanation?

Yes that's correct, my favourite soft drink ever!!

I've a hankering for a cider and black now.

I asked for a Baby Guinness once and was given half a Guinness 🥴

I suppose we should occasionally expect to explain

You should have ordered a St. Clements and really confused him 😉 I haven’t worked in bars for years but I’d know what you meant by a lemon lime (I might clarify with you). My favourite regional difference was serving someone the snakebite they’d asked for and being met with ‘but int snakebite red?’. Well it is if you ask for black(currant cordial) in it…

Snakebite & black was known as Diesel round my way.

Where abouts in the UK are you?

I remember my first job in a restaurant when I was 17, in a different city. We had cordial drinks (Orange, lime, blackcurrant etc) but I never knew them as “cordial”. Where I was from we either said pop or juice. I was confused when someone asked for “lemon and lime” the first time.

Shame he didn’t understand though.

I had the opposite experience with my mum.

At the Christmas markets last year -asked her what she wanted to drink. She said “baby Guinness” thinking it was a half-pint.

She looked at me in horror when I returned to the table with a bunch of shots.

Ice and slice with your coffee ?

I was once asked for a ‘whisky and American’ by an absolute asshole American tourist who then flounced off to sit and wait for me to bring it to him. I was stumped until a regular who’d overheard informed me that he meant a JD & coke.

Having worked in many bars when I was younger - from dives to michelin restaurants, on events, in traditional east end London Pubs and in country pubs - one of the things I always hated was people that came in asking for something by their own special name for it and then treating you like an idiot when you didn’t know. Indeed, it’s often a test some of the (less friendly) regulars like to put new staff through on their first shifts to let you know that this is their place: ‘I’ll have my regular’, or ‘a half and half and a B on the side’… they then get annoyed when you have to ask for details.

Now I’m sure you didn’t do that, but still, help people out a bit. A lemon and lime? That could be a multitude of things, from a flavour of gin, to a slush puppy flavour. Certainly in a pub it could include a wedge or a squeeze of fruit. What you wanted was lemonade and a dash of lime. Not too hard to say that is it? Even just adding ‘ade’ to the end of the word lemon would have been useful…

You should have ordered a strange coffee after that. Next time ask for a "Long Black"

Similar bar experience, glad it wasn't just me!

I already find lemonade sickly sweet (whether it's real sugar or not), adding syrup to it would make it even worse. Sweet drinks like that always leave me feeling more thirsty and like there's a coating on my teeth.

I'd go soda water with fresh lemon or lime if not drinking drinking.

What is a baby Guinness then??? I have no idea? 🤔

They’re not soft though, angostura bitters are something like 44%! That said you only ever add such a tiny dash it doesn’t really count.

Lemon and lime can go in lemonade, tonic or soda water or even in cranberry or orange juice

So why not just order what you actually want, go crazy

I think it's a shooter? Kahlua (or maybe black Sambucca) with Baileys layered on top?