Be assertive, if the waiter is busy he won't want to wait for you. If the waiter looks at you for a split second, tell him your order. If you're away for a weekend and the bar is full, you might have a harder time here. If you're two or three people away from the counter, the waiter won't be able to contact you, so don't stand there waiting.
Make an effort to go inside and get a seat at the counter. Stand in front of the bar, looking at the shelf or faucets. If you're with your back to the bar, chatting with friends or looking at your phone, the bartender is less likely to approach you because he'll assume you're busy and there's likely to be someone else actively watching you waiting for your attention. When you order drinks at a bar, it can be difficult to get the waiter's attention.
But there are some great and not so great ways to report your waiter. First, have your order ready before going to the bar. When you're at the bar, never shout, wave, or applaud. Instead, try to make eye contact with your waiter and have your credit card ready so they know you're talking seriously.
Above all else, be patient and respectful because not only are you trying to get their attention, but you're also trying to get their help. Once you've established prized real estate in a bar, it's time for the first eye contact. Please don't just stare at yourself in a seductive way, quick eye contact will suffice. The waiters have seen all the tricks from the book about flirting to get drinks.
Try winking, snapping your fingers, or, what's worse, hit the bar and you'll have to wait 20 minutes. Also, don't make crazy gestures, please, you're not haggling in a fish market. Waiters have extraordinary peripheral vision, so when you think they haven't seen you, they're probably just ignoring you. If you keep your money at the bar until someone is there to pick it up, waving bills in the air as if the waiter were a stripper makes you look like desperate, not wealthy.
It's easy to think that the waiter is serving everyone at the bar but you, most likely, they're already working for you, as long as you're actually at the bar. Michael noted that a decent but not ridiculous tip on your first drink will remind the waiter where you are, and will remind him of who you are when you show up at the bar again. Of course, none of this will ensure that the waiter leaves everything every time you go up to the bar.
