Is Drinking from the Bottle an Image or an Etiquette Faux Pas?
I drink… therefore I am
Q: Dear Terry and Joanne, I attend networking events with my boyfriend and he drinks his beer from the bottle. I don’t think it’s very classy what do you think?
A: We don’t think it’s very classy either. It’s wrong on two counts; etiquette wise and image wise.
Beer bottle drinking etiquette
You wouldn’t tilt a wine bottle to your lips at a business mixer or business lunch. Just because the beer bottle is smaller than the wine bottle and easier on your wrist is no reason to tilt it to your lips. From an etiquette standpoint, it is wrong. Liquids are meant to be consumed in glasses.
Situational drinking
If you’ve attended one of our business image and brand seminars you know we talk about situational dressing; making sure that your image fits the situation. While it’s popular to drink beer from the bottle, you should consider where you’re doing it and what you’re wearing.
Are there peanut shells on the floor?
If you are at an establishment that features straw or peanut shells on the floor and you’re wearing jeans and/or a baseball hat or cowboy hat, you’re probably good to drink from the bottle. It somehow fits with the image.
Not wearing a ball cap
If you are at any sort of business function (also weddings or social occasions) where you’re wearing business dress or more formal attire (without/sans ball cap), as your business etiquette and image consultants we advise that you reach for a glass when you reach for the bottle.
Drinking from the bottle – déclassé or de-glass-ay
It doesn’t look too bad when you’re holding a bottle, it’s when you bring it up to your lips, tilt back your head and glug. At that instant from across the room, you don’t look like a professional (well, maybe a professional drinker). If you haven’t noticed before, watch someone in business attire drink from a bottle. (See our photo at the top. Not very pretty is it?)
Terry’s legally required full disclosure
On a personal note I am a beer drinker and when camping or fishing (yes, often wearing a cowboy hat or a ball cap, much to Joanne’s chagrin) I have been known to tilt a bottle of beer to my lips. But I rarely wear my business clothes on those occasions. (Camping etiquette 101 actually mandates drinking from the bottle, except when running.)
P.S. Joanne says women take note – this also holds true for bottles of any sort even bottled water. If you want to move your personal brand from good to great, attend one of our upcoming Complete Professional public seminars or view our online dining program