Chris The Bartender

Earlier this summer, I was invited by Paul Trczianko and Brian Zachau of Liquid Motion to be one of a handful of bartenders to perform at Gilligan's Tiki Bar in Chetek, Wisconsin. Paul and Brian had been training the staff for the summer and were looking to culminate the training with a big night of flair bartending. I was lucky enough to get together with some of my old Kahunaville crew, Ben Galaviz and Mikey Roosa, and got to flip bottles with Paul, Brian, and the Gilligan's crew.

And a major "Cheers!" to Bob, Darryl, and the rest of the crew at Gilligan's. They were so friendly, hospitable, and fun. They put in a lot of work to make the night awesome for everyone - and still managed to have a blast themselves. Great people!

Here's the footage from my routine. I was happy with my showcase, overall, though watching it again I think I was a bit repetitive throughout the middle of it. If I were to do it again, the only thing I'd change would be to add a little more variety. That, and the chin stack...

I'll make sure I get the rest of the footage from everyone else up when I can. I first met Paul 5 years ago at my very first bartending competition - and just about cried when I saw what I was up against. He consistently places in the top 3 in just about every major flair bartending competition around the world that he competes in. And Brian Zachau has placed 2nd (out of 10,000) at the TGI Fridays World Championships for the last 5 years in a row. So, yeah, they both kick ass.