Irish Drinking

An Irishman walks into a New York bar and orders three shots of Irish whiskey. He drinks them all, then orders another round of three shots, and so on for some time. Finally the bartender asks the Irishman why he always orders his drinks in sets of three. The Irishman explains that he likes to make believe he’s drinking with his two brothers, one of whom is in Galway and the other in Sydney. This goes on until the Irishman becomes a regular at the bar. Every day when he comes in, the bartender lines us his three shots. 

But one day when the Irishman comes in, he says, “Only two shots today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss,” says the bartender.

“What loss?” asks the Irishman.

“Well,” says the bartender, “you’ve ordered only two shots today. Has one of your brothers passed away?”

“Naw,” says the Irishman, “these two are for my brothers – I’m on the wagon.”

Adapted from Carroll, Noel. Humour: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014.