Message 142 of 1991 in Flair Bartending

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lets look at several issues here.
1. The people who go to Flair Bars (and there are lots) like and enjoy flair 
thus there is obviously a need and market for it.
2.Lets not mistake Competition flair with working flair - competition flair is 
juggling etc with spirit bottles/tins etc. Working Flair is multibottle pick 
ups, stalls, cut pours, flaming etc. This is like "competition cocktails" 
which are clearly different to day-inday-out drinks yet merely to attract the 
judges attention some terrible monstrosities have been created by bartenders 
who shaould know better.
3.Flair does attract a "louder and more egotistical" element but that merely 
makes you appreciate the better ones more.
4. flair bartenders have "Yard days" where they get together and share moves. 
2165 of them pay money to a website and organisation and they regularly attend 
comps around the world organised by themselves and run by their peers - most 
'mixologists' rely on sales promos or large drinks companies.
5. a bartender can only make the drinks the customers want or ask for... if we 
think we know better we are as arrogant as the flair muppets.
6. mixologists focus all their attention by definition on the drink. Flair 
bartenders focus theirs on the customer... no-one knows what the "Perfect 
Margarita" tastes like so there is no right or wrong drink. In a commercial 
bar what is more important - a drink made that numerous experts would smack 
their lips over or a good quick drink made in an amusing manner (and remember 
here george etc that in the US mosts margs are sourmix... they invented them 
so are we doing it right with fresh lime/lemon/limon or are they...)
enjoy!