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.

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
The earliest record of a flair bartender is legendary/epic 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 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.[1] The global competition has continued to today with divisional champions from across the USA, Latin America and European Divisions come to compete in Carrollton, Texas USA.[2][3] 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 (covent garden) London, Uk After TGI Fridays, the longest running flair competition
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.

Source: wikipedia.org

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Close-up magic or micromagic or table magic is magic performed in an intimate setting usually no more than ten feet (three metres) from one’s audience and is usually performed while sitting at a table.

The vast majority of magicians around the world are closeup magicians or micromagicians.

Closeup magic can combine sleight-of-hand manipulations with flourishes.

Sleight-of-hand, also known as prestidigitation (“quick fingers”) or léger de main (Fr., “lightness of hand”), is the set of techniques used by a closeup magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly.

Flourishes are an example of a closeup magician’s skill rather than of illusion or deceit. It is the equivalent of juggling to a juggler. The two principal forms of closeup magic are card tricks and coin tricks but any small item can be used for sleight-of-hand performances including dice, bottle caps, sugar cubes, sponge balls, pebbles, pens and cups and balls.

It’s not uncommon for closeup magicians to combine several of these objects in a single trick. London based closeup magician, Brendan Rodrigues uses crystal balls in one of his now famous routines.

Source: wikipedia.org

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First up, you need a bartender or team to keep drinks flowing, your guests happy and entertained and no stress or confusion

Go online and type in “bartender hire” to see the choices of bartenders and bartender teams available in your area. Always make sure that the website content is intelligent, well though out and meaningful in its structure – having a website at the top of Google or other search engines doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the best at what you do. Sometimes asking friends can also help as personal recommendations are worth looking in to.

All professional bartenders use their own equipment such as cork screws, pouring measures, shakers, knives, and such like. In most cases other necessities like glasses, drinks and blenders are provided by you or your caterers.

Always check how experienced a bartender is by asking how many years they have been doing their job and what their expertise is. A simple test is to look at a few cocktail recipes online, choose one and ask the bartender to tell you the recipe – make sure that they are in front of you so that they can’t go online and check for themselves.

Bartender hire is not much different to hiring a new employee, so ask for credentials, past events, videos and other information that can give you an all-round feel for their ability, skill, style and flair. Asking questions about how they intend to deal with your guests will give you an idea of their management skills and any systems that they have in place to ensure smooth flow.

Remember, bartender hire is not just about the bartender or team turning-up on the day – you are hiring them because they know how much people will drink and what types of drinks to serve – use this expertise to help you plan a successful event.

Hiring a bartender who has either not worked within an experienced team or just completed their training will possibly cost you less and have an adverse effect on the overall success of your event. Most professionals will have honed their skills under the guidance of another more experienced bartender until such time as they are ready to go it alone.

Make sure that you tell your chosen bartender or team exactly what you want to achieve and they will do the rest. Expect them to ask questions surrounding number of people attending the event, the age range being catered for and the times when the bar needs to open and close. You should be concerned if these are not among the questions that they ask you about your requirements.

Source: brendanrodrigues.com

brendanrodrigues.com

When planning a wedding party or any other event, one of the most important items on the docket should be who will be serving the guests their drinks. This is where an experienced bartender comes in. Most people do not know what every drink consists of and each guest will have their own preference on what drink they would like to enjoy while attending the event, this is when the use of bartending services comes in. Hiring a bartender for any party should be an easy experience, as well as affordable; at www.brendanrodrigues.com, the bartender can be contacted directly to assist the customer in all aspects of planning the drinks portion of the event.

Hiring an experienced bartender takes the worry out of preparing for the event. They will take the time to serve each guest their drink of choice, freeing up the hosts time to mingle and enjoy their guests. If the event is too large for one bartender, the host can also have the option of hiring multiple bartenders as well; to further enhance the quality of customer service, allowing the guests to stand in line for shorter periods of time to receive their drinks. When hiring a professional bartender, they will also take the time to set up the bar as well as keep it clean and tidy throughout the party or event.

Another issue comes up when serving alcoholic drinks at any event and that is what to do about minors consuming alcohol. In this case, the host is usually responsible, however; when professional bartenders are hired, they have the experience to ask each guest for identification as well as noticing if anyone else is serving minors. They are specially trained in this aspect and most states even require that bartenders take additional courses in noticing fake identification and if a person is actually old enough to consume alcohol. This is most prevalent when using a wedding bartender, as there are usually more minors at weddings than any other event. This is also helpful when a guest has had way too much to drink. The bartender will have the ability to cut that person off and stop serving them when it is appropriate.

Hiring a bartender for any function is easy and affordable through Bartend My Party. This service takes the worry out of how to serve guests drinks as well as legal issues such as serving minors or over-serving adults. With Bartend My Party, the host can contact the bartender directly to plan the function, instead of going through a service and getting wires crossed on what is expected. This way, the host knows they told the hired bartender exactly what is expected and they know for a fact that the bartender knows their duties. When the time comes for the event, the host does not need to worry about anything except for enjoying their event.

Source: articlesbase.com

brendanrodrigues.com

One of the most coveted positions in the food and beverage industry is that of professional bartender. Bartending is a social job, more glamorous than bussing tables with lots of opportunity for working in unique and exciting venues. With few traditional educational requirements, bartending appeals to many people, especially young adults. Although you do not need a degree, bartending involves a little more than pouring beer in a mug. Bartenders must understand how to talk to people, how to make and sell drinks and, most importantly, how to deliver a great experience to guests. Learn about the responsibilities, character traits and skills required to make a great bartender.

Bartender Job Responsibilities
A bartender works behind the bar, making drinks for customers as well as for waiters who need to fill a drink order at their tables. Bartenders prepare alcoholic beverages every day, but they are also required to have a good handle on serving people—especially intoxicated people—handing cash and credit cards, and working with specialty equipment.

Serving Customers
This is arguably the most important part of the bartender’s job. Serving customers involves acknowledging guests as soon as they walk up to the bar, and especially if they sit down to order a drink. Placing a cocktail napkin in front of the guest shows that they are being served, and smiling with a friendly greeting makes them feel as though they will be taken care of. The bartender’s priority is to serve customers well, and happy customers typically reward the bartender with a bigger tip. Additionally, the bartender must be prepared to cut off a guest who has had a one too many, then call a cab if needed. The bartender must maintain a responsible service ethic at all times.

Mixing and Pouring Drinks
Bartenders are masters of the alcoholic beverage industry. Great bartenders have all their recipes memorized, and never need a cheat sheet when it comes to mixing and garnishing cocktails. Bartenders need to be comfortable pouring liquor, using a cocktail shaker, opening wine bottles and pouring beer from a tap whether it’s a slow afternoon or a busy evening.

Handling Cash Transactions
Cash-handling is important to just about any food service operation, but in a fast-moving bar environment where cash is constantly flying across the counter, it can take some organization and quick thinking to keep it all straight. Bartenders must be able to show integrity when handing cash, tip money and guests’ credit cards, and must be able to learn point of sale (POS) operations.

Strong Knowledge of Drink Menu
Bar customers often take a seat at the bar and ask “what’s good?” The bartender needs to be able to educate the guest on everything from happy hour specials to reserve bottles of wine, while also asking questions to determine what it is the guest will enjoy the most. A strong knowledge of the entire drink menu, and even the food menu, if there is one, is important to helping the guest enjoy the experience.

Understanding of Bar Equipment
Bartending is not rocket science, but it sure would be a detriment if your bartender looked confused about how to use a hawthorn strainer. As a bartender, it is important to know how to use a few bar-specific tools and utensils, be it a cocktail strainer, a corkscrew or a jigger. Bartenders need to know their environment and the tools of the trade in order to do the job well.

Getting Certified
Bartending is accessible for people with experience and training, but in order to get hired most people need to have a bartender’s certification. Bartenders can get certified by going to bartending school, completing an online training course, or by enrolling in training classes offered by the restaurant they are applying to. Many restaurants offer casual in-house training for servers or new hires who want to apply for a bartending position. Certifications involve basic coursework on different types of alcohol, making drinks, basic liquor law and how to work with the equipment and supplies.

Bartending Schools
These schools offer classroom-based courses for groups to get hands-on experience, where they work with an instructor and other students while they learn and practice their skills. Many bartending schools have mock bar set-ups with sinks, blenders and bartending tools to practice real-world scenarios. Bartending schools are great for those with wider windows of availability and who learn best in group settings with hands-on experience. Students take an exam at the end of the course study in order to get certified.

Choosing a Path to Success
The pretty face behind the bar might seem like an easy position to fill, but more often than not the attractive person filling your glass does indeed know what he or she is doing. A common delusion is that attractive bartenders make the best bartenders. Unless they have ample training, a way with people and a solid track record when it comes to selling drinks, a bartender is not holding up to his or her end of the bargain.

Attend Bartending School
Many bartenders decide to get involved in the industry by going to a bartending school. Bartending schools are institutions that have begun to gain extra popularity in major metropolitan areas in the past decade. Many see bartending school as their first step into an industry where few can make real money without first getting experience actually making drinks.

Pros:
Unlike traditional 2-year or 4-year colleges, these institutions offer bartending courses specifically to train and certify aspiring bartenders in as few as 10 four-hour sessions
Bartending school gives students hands-on experience in many cases
There are structured courses and learning modules for students

Cons:
There is no substitute for real-world experience; employers may prefer someone who has actually worked in restaurants and bars to someone with a degree and no experience
Bartending school is sometimes seen as an exorbitant means to becoming a certified bartender

Opinions about bartending schools vary widely. To many career bartenders, attending bartending school is unnecessary. They might argue that what establishments really want are experienced professionals who have put in the work. Even someone with a certification and a degree from bartending school might not get a job at an upscale establishment if they have not worked their way up the ladder, first.

Get Experience on the Job
For those who are willing to put in the time and effort to get the most of their career, starting small is the way to go. Working as a “barback,” also called a “runner,” is a common place to start. Barbacks are bartenders’ assistants. Barbacks work in clubs, resaurants, catering halls and bars to make sure the bartender always has whatever he or she needs.

Pros:
Being a barback offers real-world experience working alongside a bartender, much like a paid apprenticeship
Barbacks are usually “tipped out” by bartenders—bartenders give barbacks 15-25 percent of their own tips—which helps increase nightly income
These positions are usually fairly easy to get into without much experience

Cons:
Barbacking involves preparing and cutting up garnishes, refilling ice in the underbar icebins, or wells, restocking empty liquor bottles, washing glassware, changing beer kegs, and retrieving empty glasses from guests who are finished with their drinks—not the most glamorous work
Barbacks do not make drinks nor handle money, except for gathering tip cash left on the bar to put in the tip jar
Not all bars have barback positions available
It takes time to gain experience and confidence as a barback, and it may take time to get promoted to full-on bartender

Although the work is not as glamorous as bartending itself, this is the very best way to gain experience and exposure to what bartending is actually like. Not all bars have barback positions, but those that do are often willing to take someone with less experience but the drive to execute well.

Being a bartender is often more challenging and involved than it looks. Just because you can make a mean margarita for your friends does not mean you’re ready for the mad happy hour rushes, the guests who have had a few too many, and the nights when your tip money is looking slim. In order to be prepared for this line of work, you need the training, the certification, the experience and the passion to be successful.

Source: foodservicewarehouse.com

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Welcome to the flair bartender, bartender, bartender hire and closeup magic blog!

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