re: Tipping a friend who is a bartender

Whether he gave it to you for a tip or just to be friendly isn't relevant . What is relevant is he gave you someone else's liquor which he himself does not pay for. And if he does it to you I'm sure he does it for other friends, which compounds the crime. I'm not naive to think it doesn't happen but regardless of that the question is is it right? To overcharge one makes it balanced enough to give another a free one? If he did this to take care of you then wouldn't you, by nature, return at some point to get another "deal" which puts him on a slippery slope that he is already sliding down.

I own businesses. I pay my employees very well and I expect them to act professional and do their job accordingly. If they use company vehicles on personal time or company gas cards in personal vehicles to name a couple things. They are stealing and are terminated. Same as your bartender. He's not just giving you an extra strong drink or a few more ounces of wine. He's wholesale giving you a nights worth free.