Message 143 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.

so they would not enjoy a well-made cocktail anyway?

> 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.

I do all four of these 'flair' things, (if 'stalls' means bouncing the bottle 
from one glass to the next). These 'moves' are done to quicken the service, 
the flaming adds a burnt taste to the drinks (if it doesn't, why flame the 
twist?)

I sincerely hope that that does not make me a flair bartender. I don't spin 
cans (shaker cans), or bounce cans off the floor. If its quicker, and doesn't 
adversely affect the cocktail, then I do it already (I hope).


 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.

Very True!, but why make supposedly new cocktails, when few people have tried 
(and perfected) the multitude that already exist.

> 3.Flair does attract a "louder and more egotistical" element but that 
> merely makes you appreciate the better ones more.

I tar them all with the same brush (because of the ones I have encountered, 
from work, and from Roadhouse/ TGI visits)

> 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.

Well, I don't call myself a 'Mixologist', but as a 'cocktail bartender', I 
only ever recieved attention at Match (obviously not loud, and brass enough 
for liquor companies to notice).

> 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.

Upselling and recommending drinks, is an unreliable way around this. 

a great way to sell woodford reserve is to tell Londoners that the same 
company owns JD (Brown-Forman hate it, but it sells the whisky)

> 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!

Henry Ford invented the motorcar (or at least the mass-produced one), but I 
would rather have a Ferrari (or at least the money!!!)

George!

-- 
The Thinking Bartender's Website:

http://www.geocities.com/sidecar_sid