Bartending 101: What does well mean?
“Well” can mean a couple different things behind a bar. First of all, a well is the bartender’s station. This is the area in which the ice is kept behind the bar. It’s where all of the drinks in the bar are being made and served. In a crowded bar, the customer standing in front of a bartender’s well will always get helped faster than the person standing at the end of the bar or in the cocktail server’s station because the well is where the bartender spends a majority of their shift. The generic brands of liquor kept behind a bar are also considered “well”. These brands are the cheapest liquor in the house. It’s the stuff a bartender pours when a customer doesn’t request a specific brand when ordering drinks such as a rum and coke, vodka tonic or whiskey sour. In this case, well simply means the bar’s lowest price point. Call, premium and super premium would be more expensive price points behind the bar and are generally going to be located on either the bar’s back bar or it’s top shelf
