On a bad date? Try the 'guardian shot' as your exit strategy

Some bars on the Island have a new drink for people who need to get out of an uncomfortable date.

But ordering the "guardian shot" won't get you an ounce of liquor — it's a signal for the bartender that you need help.

Ordered neat, the bartender will take you to your car. Ordered with ice, they'll call a cab. And ordered with lime, they'll call the police.

Steve Barber, who runs the Hunter's Alehouse in Charlottetown, said patrons of the pub had posted on its Facebook page about a similar "code" being used in other North American restaurants, where it's called an "angel shot."

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So the bar decided to copy it.

"If we were to save one person from a situation where they weren't comfortable then it's done its job," he said.

"We would hate not to have done our due diligence."

Shot now offered in three bars

Posters explaining the "guardian shot" are now hanging in the bathrooms of three bars in Charlottetown.

They are Hunter's Ale House, The Factory Cookhouse and Dance Hall, and The Charlottetown Beer Garden. All three are run by the same company.

So far, no one has used the service, and Barber said he's never had any incidents.

"But it probably has happened," he said.

Essential given the rise of online dating

Jillian Kilfoil, executive director with the Women's Network P.E.I., said she welcomes the initiative of the guardian shot, considering how prevalent dating violence is in society, and how much dating now happens online.

"Because that person that you are meeting for the first time, you really have only talked to them and interacted with them in an online space," she said. 

"And so having these provisions in place for people I think are more important today, given our online spaces and online dating.

"But unfortunately this violence towards women, often within the context of a romantic relationship, has been something that's persisted for decades."

Kilfoil added that while women make up the majority of victims of dating violence, it is an issue that also affects men, and everyone should do more to help people affected by violence.

She said she's thrilled to see this initiative taking off.

"I think it's an important step in preventing violence towards women and towards all Islanders," she said.           

Not a joke

While the posters say that people can ask for the shot if they feel unsafe or even "just a bit weird" during a first date, Barber said no one should ever think twice about asking for help.

"I mean, you can call, you know 'white flag it up' whenever you want," he said. "It's no sweat off our back to walk you to your car or call a cab for you, or call the police. It's just a phone call."

He recommends, however, that people walk up to the bar and ask discreetly, rather than order the shot at the table, as this could strike up an unwanted conversation with their date.

But the servers also know about the shot, he said.

The only thing he doesn't like is people making fun of it, as one man did last weekend.

"If this person isn't in the mindset that they can be mature about something like that, then maybe they shouldn't even be allowed in the bar," he said.

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