Flair bartending is the practice of bartenders entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools (e.g. cocktail shakers) 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.
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- Montreal flair bartending et mixologie Www.crowdbarflair.com.
- Cocktail author Cheryl Charming's Flair Bartending page. “The barkeeper and his assistants possess the agility of acrobats and the prestidigitative skill of magicians. They are all bottle conjurors.—They toss the drinks about; they throw brimful glasses over their heads; they shake the saccharine, glacial and alcoh.
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.
History[edit]
The earliest record of a flair bartender is barman Jerry 'The Professor' Thomas, who poured fiery streams of boiling water and flaming whisky and mixed an original cocktail called the Blue Blazer in the late nineteenth century.[citation needed]
Flair bartending was also prominently featured in the 1988 film Cocktail starring Tom Cruise, as well as the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly.[citation needed]
Flair competitions[edit]
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 1995.
The first open competition to have a working flair round was the Quest for the Best Bartender in the World in 1999.
The first all working flair bartending competition was the Flair Bartenders Shakedown in 2006 organized by BarWars LLC.
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 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, and the Athens Flair Open feature pure exhibition flair.
Competition history[edit]
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, California. 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 Pictures 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.[1] The global competition has continued to today with divisional champions from across the US, Latin America and European Divisions coming to compete in Carrollton, Texas.[2][3]
Current competitions[edit]
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 US.
In 2008 the World Flair Association launched the Grand Slam. A worldwide tournament the includes the best competitions from all over the world. It is seen today as the biggest competition/tournament to win in the world of flair. Bartenders travel far and wide for the Grand Slam events to try and earn the title of Grand Slam World Champion. The Grand Slam events vary each year, being located in Europe, Asia, and America.
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 twelfth year in 2010.
Some the biggest flair bartending events worldwide include:
- Roadhouse World Flair in (Covent Garden) London, UK
- Legends of Bartending (Las Vegas, US) - discontinued
- Quest (Orlando - the oldest major flair competition in the world) - discontinued
- Skyy Global Flair Challenge in 14 different countries including China, UK, Canada, Israel, Czech Republic, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, etc. - discontinued
- Hard Rock Cafe has conducted a global 'BARocker working flair competition since 2013.
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 organization's World Classic Cocktail Competition (inaugurated in 1955).
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Past Champions, T.G.I. Friday's World Bartender Championship - accessed January 16, 2010
- ^World BTC News 2009 Archives, T.G.I. Friday's World Bartender Championship - accessed January 16, 2010
- ^T.G.I. Friday's World Bartender Championship Mixologist Profiles, T.G.I. Friday's World Bartender Championship - accessed January 16, 2010
External links[edit]
- Flair Bartenders' Association — Largest Community of Flair Bartenders
Ask any Crow Bar regular and they would tell you they were nervous about the renovations. No one wanted to lose their classic old-school bar.
On Thursday night, the doors were open again, the house was packed and the consensus was clear. There may be new multi-tone wood panels surrounding a more open floor plan, a fresh shiny bar top and updated wall decor, but the Crow Bar still feels like home.
'We didn't want it to get fancy,' said Cathy Kayl, a regular at the bar for the past 28 years. 'We like our crowd. We like our bar.'
Previous coverage: Sioux Falls' Crow Bar is close to re-opening as owners hope to unveil remodeled interior
Kayl said she's been coming to the Crow Bar once a week since she turned 21. A friend joked that she never left while the bar was closed for renovations, but camped in the parking lot until she could get back in. She and a few friends had come for lunch because they were itching to see the redesign, and returned for evening drinks.
© Erin Bormett / Argus Leader Angel Kasper, Ryan Wallin, Bailey Strasburg and Jake Jellesma toast their first night at the newly renovated Crow Bar on Thursday, June 18, in Sioux Falls.'It looks great with the renovations, but it has the same feel,' she said.
Crow Bar full of fond memories for many
© Erin Bormett / Argus Leader Cathy Kayl, center, laughs with friend Michael Lindsey, left, while having drinks on Thursday, June 18, at the Crow Bar in Sioux Falls. Kayl was also at the bar for lunch because she was excited to see the new renovations.Kayl's group of friends have fond memories attached to their time at the Crow Bar. Multiple wedding parties have ended up in the back corner drinking the night away over the years. Even with the new open layout and updated look, she could easily point to the cluster of tables the group had overtaken on such occasions.
A few of those tables had been pushed together Thursday night to make space for the Crow Bar softball team. It's no surprise that the team sponsored by the bar would make it their regular hangout.
New set of rules: Restaurants and bars plan return as city loosens restrictions
Crowd Bar Flair Restaurant
'It feels like home again,' said Spencer Taylor, one of the players. 'They did an amazing job.'
The Crow Bar was Taylor's college bar when he went to Augustana, and he's friends with some of the employees. He said he wants to keep supporting the bar in reciprocity for the owners' support of the softball team. It's Barry and Terri Hermanson's care for their customers that keeps him coming back.
© Erin Bormett / Argus Leader A round of shots and beer sits on a table next to a juke box on Thursday, June 18, at the Crow Bar in Sioux Falls.Fellow teammate Allen Goodroad echoed that sentiment. His friend knows the Hermansons personally, so he was able to attend the bar's soft opening for friends and family.
'When they were giving a little speech, they said, 'By the way, prices aren't changing,' Goodroad said. 'They dumped a lot of money into this, but it's great that they care about their customers.'
He added that he was impressed with the new flourishes. His favorite update is the wall of signed guitars near the pool tables.
One of those guitars hung just above Logan Landon's head as lined up his pool cue for the break. After making the shot, he declared the Crow Bar to be the 'best bar in Sioux Falls.'
'They got the same feel of the place,' he said, smiling. 'It just looks a little younger now.'
A waitress passed by the pool table with a tray of shots, carrying them around the bar and coming to rest on a table next to a pitcher of beer. Angel Kasper and her friends made a toast to the new bar.
Kasper has worked as a waitress at the Crow Bar since last September, though she was off-duty Thursday night. While many people may not willingly spend extra time at their place of employment, she thoroughly enjoys her nights off as a patron.
'The first time I ever came here I was looking for a second job, and it just felt right,' Kasper said. 'Ever since then it's been my favorite place to come and hang out and be around people.'
Big crowd on Crow Bar reopening night
Many of the bar's employees helped with the renovation process, so the final product wasn't a surprise to Kasper. Still, seeing the space filled with happy people was the missing link the team was waiting for, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that shut things down for a while.
'It's an amazing accomplishment and it makes us overjoyed to see the people in the bar,' she said.
© Erin Bormett / Argus Leader New wood paneling decorates the walls of the Crow Bar on Thursday, June 18, in Sioux Falls.
Seeing 'people in the bar' might be underselling just how successful the Crow Bar's first day was upon reopening. Terri Hermanson said she's received lots of compliments on how the building looks from the 'constant stream of people' that came in all day long. At night, the crowds were shoulder to shoulder.
'It's some mixed emotions, because there's all the hard work you put into it, and you hope everyone likes it,' Hermanson said.
Having a completely full bar on a Thursday night is unusual, and she's taking it as a good sign that the renovation was a success.
'It's great to have people back into it, because it makes it feel more like home and not a work site,' she said.
Crowd Bar Flair Reviews
That was all the conversation Hermanson had time for before hustling back to work the bar, which was kept busy all night long.
Crowd Bar Flair Menu
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 'Feels like home again': Crow Bar renovations add flair to classic dive bar