Message 128 of 1991 in Flair Bartending

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> why do some people think that the pinnacle of bartending excellence 
> is being able to flair?...
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I totally agree. While I think that there is "some" room for just a little bit 
of personal "style" in the mixing of drinks, any dedicated attention to 
"Flairing" is missing the mark.

Ok... if the drinks you are making suck, then you'd better have some reason 
why people would want to have you make drinks for them, so then perhaps you 
could fall back on doing flairing. Likewise, if your customers aren't 
interested in what the drinks taste like, only in what they look like while 
drinking them, and what you look like while preparing them for them... then I 
guess that too would be a valid reason for looking at flairing.

I strongly believe that bartenders should think of their craft much like that 
of a fine chef, and you don't see serious chef's doing gymnastic routines with 
their pots and pans.

Granted, most chef's aren't doing their duties in front of a captive audience, 
but lets draw a comparison to a type of chef that is...

The Sushi Chef. They often create their products in very much the same sort of 
situation that bartenders find themselves. And you won't see "good" sushi 
chefs doing full-on "flair" work with their product preparation. They will 
often have some nice stylistic moves that provide a degree of visual interest, 
but it is clear that their primary focus is on the creation of the product, 
not the floorshow. I suppose a sushi chef who can't make good sushi, will 
perhaps likewise try to rely on "flair" to keep his clientel entertained.

-Robert
 www.DrinkBoy.com