Health and safety officials are not trying to stop you drinking your tequila with lemon and salt

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have said that bars should serve tequila "in the traditional way" with salt and lemon, after a bar manager refused to serve shots in his bar with the usual accoutrements, blaming health and safety legislation. The opinion came about as part of the HSE's attempts to bust myths around health and safety rules in the UK.

The nightclub bar manager had told patrons that his refusal to serve shots of tequila with expected lemon and salt was due to health and safety. The HSE said that the bar manager was "quoting and easy excuse – probably to cover up poor customer service". They also said that the bar was misusing health and safety legislation and should just "simply serve the drink in the traditional way as requested".

The panel's opinion read: "There is no workplace health and safety legislation that prohibits the service of salt and lemon with tequila. This looks like a case of quoting an easy excuse – possibly to cover up poor customer service. The bar should simply serve the drink in the traditional way as requested, and not misuse health and safety legislation in this way."

Traditionally, those consuming a shot of tequila will lick salt from their hand before taking the shot and afterwards suck on a lemon or lime segment. This originally came about as a way to drink cheap, bad-tasting tequila.