It's Getting Hot In Here.

I’ve received a few emails in the last couple weeks from readers asking me for tips on how to use fire in their flair routines. I reluctantly offered some advice, if only so that they wouldn’t have to learn by trial and error and burn themselves - or someone else - in the process. Then a friend of mine sent me a news story about two bartenders in Virginia who were arrested for performing a little show during which they breathe fire. Another bartender in New York was arrested earlier this summer for performing a trick in which he lights the bar on fire. Yet two more reasons I discourage anyone from using fire in their flair routine. Truth is, being arrested for for a couple felonies and misdemeanors are the least of my worries; burning the face off your guests ranks a little higher on the list. I can understand the Virginia bar owner's confusion - they had been doing this stunt for years. But like they say, if you play with fire...

I’ve written about it before. Whether you’ve read it before or not, do yourself and your guests a favor and read it again. Nevermind the fact that there are no legitimate competitions in the world that allow you to use fire - it usually means immediate disqualification. I understand the appeal of it, I really do, but I challenge you to be a better bartender and entertain your guests with rockstar service and bad-ass flair rather than a match and some fuel.

And to end on a lighter note, and because it still cracks me up, check out this genius taking a flaming shot at some house party. It’s okay to laugh. He did it to himself.

Inebriation

This may be a little goofy for my first post from Panama, but I'm working on a few other articles and someone sent me this video which is just too good to pass up. If you've seen the movie Inception yet, you should enjoy this. I'm still laughing just as hard after the third time watching it.

A Man, A Plan, A Canal...

I've got good news, bad news, good news, and great news...

The good news is that two friends of mine have invited me to spend two months with them in Panama. My lease expires this week and my job allowed me the time off, so I couldn't say no. I leave on Monday, Aug 16th for Panama.

The bad news is that I won't be working  behind a bar for the next two months. As much as I'll miss slinging drinks and rocking it five deep, the good news is that I'll have two months to finally get to all of the stories, tips, and other things I've been wanting to share with you. I'm looking forward to having some uninterrupted time to spend working on putting out great content and building a much more involved website. Oooh, and I'll also have a whole new drinking culture to explore. I'm looking forward to exploring and discussing Panamanian rums, beers, drinks, and discos. Next week, start checking back regularly for more updates.

And finally, the great news: Over the past few months, I've had a number of readers ask me if I had an instructional DVD available. I don't. But I've got something I think will be better. I'm going to be launching a whole new site dedicated just to flair bartending videos. I'll still have some free tutorials available, but ultimately I'll be building a paid monthly subscription site. The concept is that instead of dropping $30-40 on any number of DVDs out there, you can spend about $15/month and get access to all of the instructional videos I have, with new ones being added regularly. I was working with a company to build the site that wanted me to charge at least $25/month, trying to convince me that the more people pay, the more value they perceive that they are getting. While I get their point, I'm doing it on my own, and though I haven't set the price yet, I'm going to make it affordable and try to give you more than your $$$ worth. And, of course, if you've been following ChrisTheBartender.com for a while, I'll have special deals for you.

After an entire summer of technical difficulties and terrible mishaps, I have finally completed filming about 4 hours worth of new tutorials. I was hoping to have even more, but what I didn't finish here, I'll get filmed in Panama. Do you guys care if the instructional flair videos are filmed in a bar or is a park or beach just fine? I tried so hard to get a professional look by filming as much as I could behind the bar, but I've had other readers tell me they don't care - they just want new tutorials. Tell me if it matters to you.

So, that's what's happening with me.

A quick plug for the people that I'll be staying with in Panama. They are an awesome couple that used to come into my bar regularly when I worked at the Comedy Club. They've been doing web design/development since the internet began and do amazing work. Be sure to check out their hotel reservation website HotelSpinner.com. Sure I'm biased, but I'll swear on your mother's grave that it's the best hotel booking site out there. Hotel Spinner compares dozens of other travel sites and finds you the best deal. Basically, they do the foot work for you. So if you travel at all, check them out. And it just goes to show: be good to your regulars. You never know how good they'll end up being to you.

Free Cocktail Shakers

I recently received an email from Steve at TrueFabrications who was wondering if I would be interested in giving away some cocktail shakers to any of my wonderful readers. It sounded too good to be true, but it turns out they just want to get their name out there a little bit and maybe bump up their SEO. No harm in that - especially if it means free cocktail shakers for you guys!

Check out the cocktail shaker that's up for grabs - it's a sexy little number. It's a three-piece shaker with a cap and strainer - more of a classic martini shaker than the weighted tins that we'd generally use for flairing, but it would make a great addition to any bar or home setup.

So what do you have to do to win one of the three that's up for grabs? Steve and I talked about hosting some kind of contest (submit your best bar toast, flair move, drink recipe, etc.) but for this first giveaway we're going to keep it real simple. All you have to do is send me an email with "Free Cocktail Shaker" in the subject line and the state you live in as the body of the email. Unfortunately, for now, True Fabrications can only ship in the US. Sorry global readers! But for you guys in the US, that's it. I'll randomly select three people on August 8th and notify you by email. I'm posting this message on July 28th, so you've got a few days.

If you get a chance, peek around their site a little bit. You'll find some pretty cool wine accessories; I'd never seen wine stoppers quite like this.

I May Have Drowned My Sorrows In Too Much Ketel One

With all the perks of bartending - beautiful women, cash tips, being able to sleep late - you'd think it couldn't get any better. And then along come distributors, brand reps, and sales managers to sweeten the deal. Occasionally these people like to throw goodies our way to say thanks for selling their products. Which I have no problem accepting.

A couple weeks ago, however, our Nolet Spirits sales manager Mike pulled out all the stops and invited a handful of my co-workers and I to watch the Minnesota Twins beat up the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Aside from just picking up the cost of the tickets, he actually rented a suite at the TGIFridays in left field complete with an open bar and food. Oh, to be wined and dined. We got to mingle with other bar owners and employees from other Madison and Milwaukee bars. And we definitely put more than a dent in their liquor supply while we watched the Brewers win their first game in what would ultimately be a three game sweep of my hometown Twins. The tickets, the drinks, and the food all seemed generous enough - I felt like asking him to rig the game might've been too much.

So, I want to say thanks to Mike and the folks at Ketel One for a great night out on the town. I don't know why it got so fuzzy towards the end, especially when I found out the next day that my friends had been buying me non-alcoholic beer. Must've been the two Harlem bombs we started the first inning with or possibly the handful of Ketel One Oranje and 7's that kept me company during the Twins loss. If you haven't had the new Ketel One Oranje yet, go get a bottle. It's easily the best orange vodka I've had - light and sweet, without being syrupy or candy-like. And if you haven't heard of their newest liqueur Harlem, check it out. It's an herbal liqueur that draws a most-likely comparison to Jagermeister. Now, I'm not a fan of Jagermeister at all, but I can comfortably say that a shot of Harlem dropped into Red Bull with a squeeze of orange was a tasty way to start that night's drinking rampage. Adding a hint of orange really helps perk up the Harlem shot. So much better than the Jagerbombs I pour every night for the dude-bro with the popped collar and cheesy pickup lines. And I haven't tried their Hup Holland Hup shot they suggest on the Harlem blog, but I'm sure I will tonight.