Much to Bernie Machen's dismay, Gainesville is a town that loves to party. Most people who grew up here or go to UF get into the party atmosphere early and try to figure out ways to get around that pesky drinking age.
I like to believe we prevent most under-21-year-olds from drinking in Gainesville bars, but I realize that some slip through the cracks. However, there are certain red flags that occur from entrance to exit that show bartenders and bouncers that you aren't 21.
To everybody with "foolproof" fake IDs, eventually a bartender or bouncer will ask you for another form of identification. The excuse that "I'm only carrying cash," is the biggest indicator that the ID in your hand does not belong to you. I don't think I've ever met somebody who didn't have at least two things in their wallet with his or her name on it.
The stereotypical method of ordering a cocktail is another thing that trips up underage drinkers. Asking for a "well and coke" is definitely going to raise some eyebrows. Wells are what bars call their generic brand alcohols, which means a "well and coke" would be a splash of gin, tequila, rum, whiskey and vodka with coke as a mixer.
I understand that underage drinking in Gainesville happens, and I may have even been a part of it in previous years. Now that I'm on the other side of the bar, however, a lot of the consequences make it seem like more of a risk than it's worth.
Gainesville has begun to crack down hard on underage drinking, and police officers are making their presence known around clubs and bars. Not only does an underage drinking citation look bad on your record, it's bad for the bar as well. The bar usually has to pay a fine, and the bartender that served the underage offender could be held personally responsible.
Keep this in mind the next time a bartender refuses to serve you or the bouncer doesn't let you in the door. We're not doing it to be jerks; it's just part of the job.
For those of you who have managed to get by the system, you might never get caught, but you also might be playing on borrowed time. I guess there's just one question: Are you feeling lucky?
Gabrielle Falconeiri is a junior majoring in journalism.
