Entries in Flair Bartending (4)

Saturday
26Sep2009

Flair Show at Gilligan's Tiki Bar

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.


Tuesday
22Sep2009

Flair Bartending Lesson #33: The Multi-Pour

In flair bartending, there are some moves that take hours and hours - if not weeks or months - of practice. And sometimes, the end result doesn't even look all that impressive. This move, the Multi-Pour, is not one of those moves. It's quite the opposite. With just a little practice, you can learn to successfully deliver one of the best crowd-pleasers I know. Now don't get silly and try it for the first time Friday night while you're three deep. Be sure to start small with just a couple tins/shots. As you get better, see how many you can do and have fun stacking the shots at different levels to create a more impressive display. BE CAREFUL to find your limit of how many you feel comfortable with - I usually max out around 11. Any more than 11 and I worry about the tins slipping apart while I'm pouring and breaking the whole display. Which is not good.

As promised, I've also got a few bonus clips which will be up shortly. Check back later today.

Monday
03Aug2009

Flair Bartending #30: Over Shoulder Tin Stall with Pour

This is slightly more complicated, but fun and entertaining working flair. Guests occasionally gasp when they see you pour into the tin and THEN flip it. Practice this A LOT at home with water and make sure you can land it 90% before trying it at work. Spilling alcohol is a sure way to not only irritate your boss but also look like an idiot in front of your guests and co-workers.

Tuesday
28Jul2009

Flair Bartending #29: 2 Tin Split into Stall

Just two tins, no bottles involved in this week's move - so for those of you who have bosses that don't like flair because they think you'll break bottles, warm them up with this one. A good move to start making drinks with.

And on Friday, I'll have my first cocktail-making video up. Whaddya think: should we start with the Mojito, the Caipirinha, or the Old Fashioned?