As a bartender I serve quite a few shots; so I got to thinking the other night after making quite a few of these suckers about what type of patron drinks shots and for what reasons they're drinking them for. After years spent 
behind the bar, I’ve found most are ordered by the younger crowd, the crowd that is looking for that quick buzz and wants to get as buzzed as possible, as cheap as possible.
I think it takes a few years of hitting the sauce; becoming experienced with the ill affects of overindulging before you realize the real properties of alcohol and learn to respect its after affects. Older adults do plenty of shots too, but most are done during a celebration, a holiday, a funeral or when knowing what the outcome is going to be and wanting to get there quickly.
In drinking circles, the term ‘shot’ refers to straight spirits or cocktails served in small glasses, usually no bigger than two ounces. They are usually thrown back in one gulp and not sipped on. Most are chilled and some even need to be chased with a different alcohol to wash away the taste (I question why we do this to ourselves).
Shots used to be very popular and most establishments had ‘Shot Specials’ to entice patrons to order more of them. Shot specials were everywhere and different names were thought up for them; Shooters, Tooters and Slammers. This has gone the way of the ‘Nickel Beer Night’ and “Bring in Your Own Mug and We’ll Fill it for $1.00’ 
drink specials. With the ever tightening alcohol laws, responsible drinking is what is now the norm and most widely taught.
The rapid consumption of shots can be dangerous, particularly as the effects are not apparent for some time after the drink is finished. This is why most bars will cut you off after they notice you doing a few too many shots, but might not make you leave. A good bartender knows to let the patron catch up to his/her buzz before they serve them anymore and see if they can handle what has already been ingested.
Some bars will even give a drink limit on their stronger drinks to try and curtail the inexperienced drinker. For instance if you order a Long Island, and it’s free poured (not pre-mixed or drawn from a gun which are usually so watered down you could drink them all night), after two, you will have consumed 10 shots in two drinks if it was made properly. These drinks are known to hide the taste of the alcohol and the inexperienced drinker will usually argue with the bartender saying “I’ve only had two drinks; I had five of them the other night at your competitors bar.” That is the first sign of an amateur! This person doesn’t realize if I was to set down ten shots of white alcohol, leave a small glass of Sour Mix and a little Coke to chase it with, then tell them to drink all ten shots within the next 20 minutes, it would be the same thing as drinking two Long Islands.
Now most would agree that slamming ten shots down in twenty minutes and you’re going to be a little intoxicated. Pace yourself, give it a half hour for your body to process this amount of alcohol you have just ingested, and then see if you need another drink. That is why we are bartenders and you come to us, we are the keeper of your buzz. We can make or break your night. If we say you’re done, we know what we’re talking about, no need to argue or threaten us with moving on to the next bar. We see people like you every night and know when you’ve had enough. If we say you should go home, chances are you should call it a night, and 9 times out of 10, you should call a cab!
Getting back to shots, obviously there is nothing wrong with the odd round of shots on the right occasion. A nice round of Red Headed Sluts, B-52’s, or maybe some Swedish Fish to get the buzz going and congratulate that friend on his most recent accomplishment is never frowned upon. Maybe a round of Johnny Walker Blue, not shot, but sipped to commemorate that friend that has gone on to the afterlife. This is completely understood. Just think twice before ordering the second round and the ill affects that might come tomorrow. Shots originate from Eastern Europe and Nordic countries where spirits, particularly Vodka, have long been drunk neat and ice-cold in small glasses. In Russia, long, think stemmed glasses known as ‘stopkis’, rather like small Champagne flutes, are preferred to ‘shot’ glasses as they allow drinkers to hold the glass by the stem, avoiding warming the vodka in their hands.
Whatever shape of glass or mixture you decide to pour into the shot glass, make sure you store it in the freezer or chill it before shooting it. Straight spirits should always be frozen as to make them go down smoother. One word of caution, check your proof before putting the bottle in the freezer. Anything below 60 proof (proof equals double the alcohol percentage - i.e. 45% alc.by/Vol = 90 proof) might freeze solid and break the bottle, so don’t leave in overnight. Now almost all Vodkas should be stored in your freezer for home consumption. Jagermeister is a given as is most Rums and Tequilas. Bourbons or Scotches are fine stored at room temperature as most like to drink them straight up or neat.
A new type of shot that is the rage is the mixture of any alcohol with the never ending wave of energy drinks that have flooded the market. The Jager-Bomb or Depth-Charge depending on which side of the coast you are on, is what started it all and now the shot variations are endless. Grape-Bombs, Cherry-Bombs, Raspberry Bombs, Blueberry-Bombs, and basically any flavor alcohol (most being the flavored vodkas) mixed with your choice of energy drink and thrown back. Word of caution when you are drinking these, you will not get the same buzz as drinking the same amount of other shots without the energy drink added in. It is called a wide-awake-drunk. You wont feel the same affects of drunkenness as normal, but if you get stopped by the police, plan on going to jail.
We have a breathalyzer at the bar I work at, and tested this one night. One lucky participant had to do five shots of just regular vodka, while another had to do five Bombs. The test subject that drank the straight vodka showed signs of drunkenness within a few minutes of finishing their last shot; while the other test subject showed no signs of slurred speech, droopy eyes, lethargic actions and the typical signs of intoxication. They actually seemed more alert and active. Once they both blew into the breathalyzer they both were over the limit, but only one was clearly visibly intoxicated. Just a warning for you out there that mix these energy drinks with their alcohol, it does not give you the ability to drink more than you normally would or even worse, drive home after drinking because you don’t feel the normal symptoms of intoxication.
Now that you know a little history and behind the scenes info on shots, next time you’re at a bar, think before you order a round of shooters. Have you already had a few drinks? And if you’re contemplating ordering your second or third round of shots, you had better make sure you have a designated driver and don’t have too much planned for tomorrow morning.
Worst mistake I see inexperienced drinkers do is mix their shots with what ever their normal drink is. If you’re drinking Gin, don’t do a round of Tequila shots. Never and I mean never order shots for man or woman drinking wine!!! Big mistake. Just think before ordering or better yet, let your bartender know what you’ve had already, and them ask them what they would recommend for you. This is also the best way to try new and different shots that you might have never tried before.
Oh and one last thing, never be “that guy” who is too cheap to buy a round when your friends have ponyed up the last three times out. We all know who you are, especially us bartenders.