Her spouse devoted so much of his leisure time at the bar that his wife eventually expressed how much it troubled her. She envisioned him having a great time while she remained at home, and she wanted to understand what made an evening there so difficult to forgo. One evening, he invited her to join him. The humor starts with that straightforward alteration of plans. For once, they would both spend the evening together in the same location.
Upon arriving at the bar, he inquired about her drink preference. She didn’t have a specific choice in mind, so she told him to order her whatever he was having. This seemed like a logical way to discover what he enjoyed about the venue. She could sample his regular drink without him having to explain why he chose it, and he was more than happy to order two of the same.
He requested two shots of Jack Daniel’s. When the drinks arrived, he downed his in one go. She observed him finish his glass and then took a much smaller sip from hers. Even that was more than sufficient. She spit it out almost instantly and told him it tasted terrible. She couldn’t grasp how he managed to drink it, especially since he made it seem so effortless to gulp it down.
He had a response ready. She often remarked that he went to the bar to have fun, he told her. After tasting the whiskey, did she still believe he was enjoying himself every night?
The interaction works because his wife requests exactly the drink he would have ordered anyway. If he had chosen something purely to shock her, she could have held him accountable for that choice. Instead, she gets to experience the drink he consumes willingly. She sees him finish it, tries it herself, and gives him the opportunity he needs as soon as she mentions how awful it is.
There’s also a humorous contrast between the question she brings to the bar and the one he responds to. She is curious about why he spends so much time there. By the end, they are discussing whether a shot of whiskey is enjoyable to swallow. He takes her opinion on the drink and treats it as if it resolves the entire discussion. The quicker he makes that connection, the less time she has to point out what he has done.
It’s easy to envision the scene pausing right there, with one empty glass and one drink still on the bar. The published joke leaves the couple at that moment. The husband has managed to have the final word for the evening, or at least until his wife can rid herself of the taste. She joined him to see what she had been missing, and one sip was all it took for her to conclude that he could keep his usual order to himself.
Adapted from Cheers dear in Coast Lines.