Once again I repeat myself
I wasn't driving, I even showed the bartender my room key for the hotel that you could see out of the window I was sitting by.
But your argument falls short because if I had ordered a side of fries and left them on the bar untouched we could have had many more drinks
They don't know if you're being honest about where you're staying and I tend to doubt that leaving the fries next to you uneaten would have solved the issue.
I can't speak for other areas of the country, but New England bars and restaurants are really starting to clamp down on overserving alcohol. More than a few have been successfully sued for the actions of people after leaving and they don't want the liability.
One place is apparently going so far as to look at limiting the number of drinks a seat can have by time as well as total number.