Introducing a new recurring print feature, Pour Your Heart Out, in which local bartenders anonymously submit short accounts of patrons behaving badly. Work at a D.C. bar or a bar within a restaurant? Submit your horror stories to Lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com.

Holiday season is great for us bartenders. Everyone is drinking bourbon or whiskey, which is always fun for someone who fancies brown spirits, like myself. Not to mention, the money is fantastic. Guests are in a good mood because their families are home. But the 18-20 somethings are home from college and unfortunately still act like they are on a college campus.

In one night I had to refuse three people alcohol because they didn’t have their IDs. The instances got progressively worse in terms of guest reactions. The first person simply asked me to make her a fun mocktail. The second person was more condescending and responded with, “Well, I guess we’re just going to take our business elsewhere. Your loss.” The third was quite hostile. A very inebriated young man and his father came in right before we were closing up and he asked for two Manhattans with slurred speech and closed eyes.

I said, “Sir, I need to see ID and I will make one Manhattan for your dad.” The drunk kid simply responded, “No. My ID is not on me.” Baffled, I responded, “No. What do you mean no? OK, well then no one is getting a drink, you need water anyway.” He then belligerently proceeded to call me every type of bitch in the book and told me to “fuck off” because I didn’t have the decency to feel sorry for him that his girlfriend broke up with him that day.

One would assume that dad would have stepped in at some point when his son was cussing me out for doing my job, but no. I guess if you raise them that way, the behavior doesn’t shock you anymore.

Moral of the story folks, if you want to drink, bring your ID! I don’t care who you are or how old you are, if you are asked for ID the burden of proof is on you. It is not our job to play the guessing game and it’s definitely not worth risking our liquor license over you.