Flair bartending
Encyclopedia
Flair bartending is the practice of bartender
s entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools (e.g. cocktail shaker
s) and liquor bottles in tricky, dazzling ways. Used occasionally in cocktail
bars, the action requires skills commonly associated with jugglers. It has become a sought-after talent among venue owners and marketers to help advertise a liquor product or the opening of a bar establishment. Competitions have been sponsored by liquor brands to attract flair bartenders, and some hospitality training companies hold courses to teach flair techniques.
Flair bartending is sometimes referred to as "extreme bartending" or contracted to "flairtending." The word flair became popular among practitioners in the mid 1990s. "Flair" is also used as a verb (e.g. "to flair"), referring to any trickery used by a bartender in order to entertain guests while mixing a drink. Flair can include juggling
, flipping
(bottles, shakers), manipulating flaming liquors or even performing close-up magic
tricks (also referred to as "bar-magic").
Flair is showmanship added to bartending that enhances the overall guest experience. The ideas behind mixology and drink-oriented or service-minded bartending can still be upheld with the correct application of working flair. Recently, there is a noticeable rise in bartenders combining prominent mixology knowledge and working flair skills all over the world. Working flair and Exhibition flair are very similar on the grounds that they both require precision and practice, however the use of exhibition flair has become a competition oriented style where significantly greater risks are being taken. Working flair, which is much more common, focuses more on delivering drinks to customers while still ensuring visual entertainment.
and mixed an original cocktail called the Blue Blazer
in the late 19th century. Cheryl Charming was the first to get a small flair bartending history and basic flair moves section published in her 5th book, Miss Charming's Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes in 2005.
The first open competition to have an exhibition round was the Quest for the Best Bartender in 1998.
The first open competition to have a working flair round was the Quest for the Best Bartender in the World in 1998.
There are different styles of flair bartending competitions. Legends of Bartending World Bartender Championships test the bartender on four disciplines of bartending, accuracy, speed, working flair and exhibition flair. The Blue Blazer and Independent Flair League (IFL) in Poland rewards flair and mixology together; competitors gain points for both flair and creative mixology. NATIONS International Flair Challenge and other competitions like Roadhouse World Flair, MBA, Athens Flair Open feature pure exhibition flair where the biggest and best moves are shown.
and Europe
an Divisions come to compete in Carrollton, Texas
USA. Recently, Las Vegas has become the flair capital of the world, with London a close second. The countries currently producing the most top competitors right now are Uruguay, Argentina, Ukraine, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Five-Time World Champion Ken Hall and Jim Allison, president of the FBA, organized six of those seven events. The flagship flair bartending event is Legends of Bartending, which celebrated its 12th year in 2010.
Some the biggest flair bartending events all over the World includes
The International Bartenders Association was founded in 1951. In 2000, the IBA initiated a World Flair Competition. This event is held at the IBA's annual congress of members, together with the organisation's World Classic Cocktail Competition (inaugurated in 1955).
The newest major events to gain credibility among top competitors include:
Major events almost always have a prize money of US $20,000 or more, and most of today's majors including Legends, Nations, Quest and Roadhouse World Flair in London.
No woman has yet won a flair world championship, though the women listed here regularly place in the top ten at major competitions.
To date, there has not been a competition that has fielded all or most of the top active competitive flair bartenders. In 2008 the FBA Pro Tour split into Americas and World as close to half of the events were already in the USA. Each year the FBA adjusts the Pro Tour to make adjustments to the sport that are helping to create a fair and balanced competitive field.
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
s entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools (e.g. cocktail shaker
Cocktail shaker
A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving....
s) and liquor bottles in tricky, dazzling ways. Used occasionally in cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
bars, the action requires skills commonly associated with jugglers. It has become a sought-after talent among venue owners and marketers to help advertise a liquor product or the opening of a bar establishment. Competitions have been sponsored by liquor brands to attract flair bartenders, and some hospitality training companies hold courses to teach flair techniques.
Flair bartending is sometimes referred to as "extreme bartending" or contracted to "flairtending." The word flair became popular among practitioners in the mid 1990s. "Flair" is also used as a verb (e.g. "to flair"), referring to any trickery used by a bartender in order to entertain guests while mixing a drink. Flair can include juggling
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
, flipping
Flipping
Flipping is a term used primarily in the United States to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling it for profit...
(bottles, shakers), manipulating flaming liquors or even performing close-up magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
tricks (also referred to as "bar-magic").
Flair is showmanship added to bartending that enhances the overall guest experience. The ideas behind mixology and drink-oriented or service-minded bartending can still be upheld with the correct application of working flair. Recently, there is a noticeable rise in bartenders combining prominent mixology knowledge and working flair skills all over the world. Working flair and Exhibition flair are very similar on the grounds that they both require precision and practice, however the use of exhibition flair has become a competition oriented style where significantly greater risks are being taken. Working flair, which is much more common, focuses more on delivering drinks to customers while still ensuring visual entertainment.
History
The earliest record of a flair bartender is legendary/epic barman Jerry "The Professor" Thomas, who poured fiery streams of boiling water and flaming whiskyWhisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
and mixed an original cocktail called the Blue Blazer
Blue blazer
A blue blazer is a type of cocktail created by Jerry Thomas, a bartender and author, while he was working at the El Dorado in San Francisco. Reportedly while Thomas was making the drink, President Ulysses S. Grant was so impressed that he gave Thomas a cigar...
in the late 19th century. Cheryl Charming was the first to get a small flair bartending history and basic flair moves section published in her 5th book, Miss Charming's Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes in 2005.
Flair competitions
Both working flair and exhibition flair can be seen in competitions, depending on the rules and regulations of each event. The important distinction between working flair and exhibition flair is not so much the level of liquid in the bottles (though that is a criterion) but the speed in which the bottle is thrown and/or the drink is made. Working flair usually incorporates a "flat" throw, which is when the bottle is released into the air without flipping. This gives an illusion of the bottle floating, but reduces the chances of liquid spilling. This also opens the bartender to be able to use similar routines, regardless of what bottle they grab, as the level of liquid is not a factor. The accepted definition of working flair is "flair that does not noticeably slow service," usually involving bottles filled to various levels (as in a real work situation) that are quickly manipulated and then poured. Exhibition flair almost always involves bottles that are often pre-set with less than 2 ounces (60ml) specifically for flipping. Exhibition flair often involves longer sequences and routines, multiple objects, and performances choreographed to music.The first open competition to have an exhibition round was the Quest for the Best Bartender in 1998.
The first open competition to have a working flair round was the Quest for the Best Bartender in the World in 1998.
There are different styles of flair bartending competitions. Legends of Bartending World Bartender Championships test the bartender on four disciplines of bartending, accuracy, speed, working flair and exhibition flair. The Blue Blazer and Independent Flair League (IFL) in Poland rewards flair and mixology together; competitors gain points for both flair and creative mixology. NATIONS International Flair Challenge and other competitions like Roadhouse World Flair, MBA, Athens Flair Open feature pure exhibition flair where the biggest and best moves are shown.
Competition history
In 1986, T.G.I. Friday's management encouraged their bartenders to show their personalities behind the bar and this resulted in several bartenders (a few being John JB Bandy, John Mescall, and Magic Mike) being sent to the corporate T.G.I. Friday's office in Texas to shoot a bartending video. At the end of 1986, T.G.I Friday's hosted the first national flair bartending competition called "Bar Olympics" in Woodland Hills, CA. John JB Bandy was the winner of this competition. In 1987, after interviewing 34 bartenders, John JB Bandy was approached across the bar by Touchstone Productions to assist in training Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown for the 1988 film, Cocktail. Later that year after filming, John JB Bandy produced the very first flair bartending training video called "Olympic Bartending". T.G.I. Friday's is credited for modernizing and popularizing flair bartending in the United States beginning in the mid 1980s because they allowed artistic personality freedom behind the bar. London (Roadhouse) and Orlando (Quest for the Best at Pleasure Island's Manniquins) were the hotbeds of flair bartending in the early and mid 1990s. In 1991, T.G.I. Friday's started its global competition called World Bartender Championship. The global competition has continued to today with divisional champions from across the USA, Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Divisions come to compete in Carrollton, Texas
Carrollton, Texas
-Climate:*On average, the warmest month is July.*The highest recorded temperature was 112°F in 1980.*The average coolest month is January.*The lowest recorded temperature was 1°F in 1989.*The most precipitation on average occurs in May....
USA. Recently, Las Vegas has become the flair capital of the world, with London a close second. The countries currently producing the most top competitors right now are Uruguay, Argentina, Ukraine, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Current competitions
There are hundreds of flair bartending competitions around the world each year, most of which are local and not well publicized. In 2005 the Flair Bartenders Association (FBA) launched the FBA Pro Tour, a linked series of events where competitors earn points toward the title Pro Tour Champion at the end of the year. In 2007 there were 14 events on the Pro Tour with 7 of them located in the USA.Five-Time World Champion Ken Hall and Jim Allison, president of the FBA, organized six of those seven events. The flagship flair bartending event is Legends of Bartending, which celebrated its 12th year in 2010.
Some the biggest flair bartending events all over the World includes
- Roadhouse World Flair in Dimitrovgrad, BG
- Underground Flair League (UFL) Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Legends of Bartending (Las Vegas, USA)
- Quest (Orlando - the oldest major flair competition in the world)
- Skyy Global Flair Challenge in 14 different countries incl. China, UK, Canada, Israel, Czech Republic, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, etc.
The International Bartenders Association was founded in 1951. In 2000, the IBA initiated a World Flair Competition. This event is held at the IBA's annual congress of members, together with the organisation's World Classic Cocktail Competition (inaugurated in 1955).
The newest major events to gain credibility among top competitors include:
- Underground Flair Space (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- Umag Daylight (Croatia)
- Helsinki Onnela Flair Master (Finland)
- Brasil Open Flair (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Flair Vegas (Las Vegas, USA)
- Champions Flair Crash (Romania)
- IFL (Poland)
- US Flair Open (USA)
- The Blue Blazer Challenge (Las Vegas, USA).
Major events almost always have a prize money of US $20,000 or more, and most of today's majors including Legends, Nations, Quest and Roadhouse World Flair in London.
Flair bars
The term flair bar was first coined by FBA co-founder and first president, Toby Ellis, in 1997. Ellis also started the first website devoted to flair bartending in 1997, Bar Magic. Ellis opened flair bars most notably in Las Vegas (Shadow, Caesar's Palace), Hawaii (Jackie's Kitchen), and South Africa (Sequoias), and has provided flair consultation and training for TGI Friday's, Kahunaville, Caesars Palace, Isle of Capri Casinos, Winter Park Ski Resort, Tavern on the Green and on Food Network Television.No woman has yet won a flair world championship, though the women listed here regularly place in the top ten at major competitions.
To date, there has not been a competition that has fielded all or most of the top active competitive flair bartenders. In 2008 the FBA Pro Tour split into Americas and World as close to half of the events were already in the USA. Each year the FBA adjusts the Pro Tour to make adjustments to the sport that are helping to create a fair and balanced competitive field.