Being a
bartender for a few years I've seen a lot of people who do not know how to order properly in a crowded
night club/
bar. Here I tend to list the most important things for you to think of. Follow them and you will probably receive your order faster and more accurate.
First off, remember that if the bar is crowded, the person or people working behind the bar probably is very stressed. Even if the person might look very chilled. If it's late and you feel tired, the bartender probably is as well. Working nights and sleeping during the day does not allow your body to recover properly. The bartender probably have a lot lesser wage than you and are probably working at minimum salary or less.
If you stand in the middle or front of the bar you might be recognized faster by the bartender. But remember not to stand behind a tall beer tap or the register. A bartender do not have a better wide angle sight than you, so standing very far out on any edge will make you invisible.
Always keep your money or credit card ready before you approach the bar. If you're not ready to pay when your order is served, a skilled bartender will skip you for a customer or two, thus making you wait even longer. Do not try to walk away with your beverage unpaid. The bartender will call the guards up on you, and may jump over the bar to grab you.
Always decide what you are going to order before you approach the bar. If you can't make up your mind when the bartender ask for your order, he or she will skip you for one, two or more customers, thus making you wait longer. The bartender will get irritated at you. If you absolutely have no clue what to order, politely ask the bartender to choose for you.
Always be polite, and you will be treated respectively.
Do not scream. Do not snap your fingers or whistle. The bartender is not a dog. If you do so, expect to wait longer, or not to be served at all. The bartender will ask for your order when it's your turn. Remember that the bartender is very stressed in a crowded bar and that the queue a bartender keeps in her mind is approximated.
If you are a couple or a crowd, take turns. It will equalize in the long run. It take more time for you and the bartender if everyone in the gang are going to pay with their own credit cards and/or cash.
Cash is king. People paying cash will be served before people with cards. A bartender will probably finish two or three orders paid in cash than an order paid with a card. That is a matter of the card machines, not the skill of the bartender. A person paying cash is also more likely to give tip, thus making the bartender more eager to serve a cash paying customer.
If the music is loud, and it probably is, help the bartender out by signaling how many of what you want with your fingers. But always remember to point your palm towards the bartender. Otherwise your making a bad gesture, in extension, giving the finger. That is impolite. If you're ordering tap beer you can make a gesture pulling down a tap before holding up one, two or more fingers depending on how many beers you want.
Do not order Mojitos. Or any other crushed ice drinks if you can't see a motor driven ice crushing machine.
Do not order layered shots or drinks. It will take an enourmously amount of time, more people will crowd in the bar, making the bartender angry at you. The bartender, being stressed, will probably just create a blurry mess anyway.
Do not order something that you've read in today edition of Your Standard Clubbing Magazine or something like that. The bartender will not know the recipe for that drink. Besides, only people who don't have clue about the world will make an order for something like that.
Always tip. The bartender is under paid, working odd ours to satisfy your needs. Show your gratitude and leave tip. It's considered mandatory to at least leave the smaller coins. American people have to leave tip in Europe. It's not included in the salary as some guidebooks falsely claims. The tip will probably go to the bartenders breakfast at a café, since the grocery store was closed when she or he quit.
If you pay with card, there is a line on the slip, often labeled "extra" or "tip" etc, where you write how much you want to tip in money. Do not cross these fields out if you, by some reason, decide not to tip. It's considered an insult to the staff. It means that you're suggesting that the people serving you are swindlers.
Do not order twice. If the bartender takes your order in a crowded bar, but doesn't start to make your order at once, it's not because the bartender has forgotten it. The bartender is keeping a queue in the back of his head and just asked you in advance to be make you feel noticed. If you double order, you have to double pay. If you order and change your mind too late, you also have to pay. If you're being daft, it's your own fault.