Flair competitions are a beautiful thing and if you have never attended one then it is something you must put on this years to-do list. They encompass everything a good party needs: good music, good people and of course, booze.

As an outsider a flair competition probably looks like several different people going on stage and juggling bottles in front of a crowd, although this is what it is to a certain extent I’m going to take you deeper into what really makes a flair competition.

For major competitions bartenders can be practicing months in advance to a music track, which fits their persona and style perfectly. A routine will be choreographed to the beat, and all this takes time. Bartenders will spend hours each day refining their routine to fit the delegated time that they are permitted on stage. As an audience member what you get is years and years of practice compressed into just a few minutes on stage.

In days gone by the bartenders would go out the night before get hammered and then wake up with a hangover and start drinking again before the comp (bring back those days if you ask me). However, now as there is so much up for grabs many of the competitors are taking it easy the night before and staying clear headed for the event.

Prize Money

The prize money has risen dramatically since the first flair competitions, which means there is much more competition between the bartenders to win first place. The prize money offered can vary from event to event, and it is the competitions that put up the big bucks that attract the attention of the big names. Of late there has been some talk about what is the best structure for the prize money. There are many competitions that offer a huge first prize and then the prize money for 2nd and 3rd drops dramatically. People are starting to question whether the prize money should be spread a little more amongst the top 3 to 5. Meaning that first prize may not be as high, but the serious competitors coming in lower that first place can still comfortably cover their travel costs. As the results can be so close between the finalists this could be a good way to go.

Duration

Depending on the size of the comp it will normally start mid afternoon to early evening. During this time the contestants will be arriving, signing in and checking out the space they have. Also they will be using this time to prep their equipment use the practice room and catch up with their flair buddies. Some larger competitions such as Legends in Las Vegas, can run over a couple of days. This is due to the amount of competitors and there are also more rounds to attend.

In most flair competitions the highest skilled bartenders will go towards the end of the heats. This is the way it is and to work your way up into the latter part of the group you really need to show your worth before you earn the right to play with the big dogs. Keep competing, keep being consistent, bring something original to the table and put on a show, and you will work your way up, simple as that.

Requirements

When it comes to being a great flair bartender the best way to get noticed is to be yourself and be creative with your flair. No one is going to win a major competition with generic or “borrowed” flair moves. Bartenders need to show off their individuality and be original. When you see the top bartenders competing in finals you notice each has their own presence and personality on stage, an up and coming bartender needs to be novel with their flair to grab people’s attention. Being able to hold the audiences’ attention throughout your whole routine can be challenging but the more your watch the pro’s the more you see how it’s done. Some bartenders have a magical “X” factor when they are on stage where you are drawn to them and you can’t take your eyes off of them, others are so good at structuring their routine and building the level of difficulty that you just cant wait to see what they are going to do next. This I would say is the key to a powerful routine. A truly great performing flairtender has a well balanced routine which will incorporate working flair, using many different objects which is not necessarily limited to bottles and shakers, and then works their way through several object combinations and will hopefully pull out some show stopping moves and end with something spectacular to blow the crowd and judges away.

In many competitions the drink that is to be made will have a few minimum requirements and these requirements will vary from competition to competition. Many people stick to the minimum requirements that are stated in the rules but make a great cocktail with great technique and I’m sure the judges will notice.

Now, flair competitions can get quite technical when it comes down to moves performed so you can’t just have any old Joe as a judge. These guys really need to know their shit otherwise sparks could fly, and rightly so. Technicalities need to be recognized and with an inexperienced judge they might not be seen. In the past there have been disputes but with the right judges and with score sheets for back up it’s only right that the judges’ word is final.

Organisations

The rules of the competitions will depend on who the organizers of the competition are. There are two main organizing bodies, which are the FBA and the WFA. (If you would like to see an in-depth breakdown you can find that HERE.) It is a good idea for a competitor to know the rules of each competition for if a contestant knows what the judges are looking for in a routine they can work that to their advantage in their routine.

Just some last tips

Another important factor of a competition is the audience, and it plays a major part. If a bartender can connect to their audience then that is a huge plus. The feedback from the audience lifts the energy levels in the room and if the guy on stage can do that then that’s good for everyone. All good performers have a connection with their audience and as a bartender this can be done though the moves they perform, eye contact and showing that you enjoy what you are doing. People don’t want to watch someone doing something they don’t enjoy doing. Please the audience and you are on the way to getting big points.

Before the bartender goes on stage they will have their crate ready. This crate is where the bartender keeps all their equipment they will be using for their routine. Usually they will have preferred flair bottles that they like to use or other pieces of equipment that are part of their routine.

This area is best being away from the crowd as there will be many tins being dropped and that makes much noise. Remember that to pull off a sick move in the practice room is not the same or as easy as pulling it off on stage in front of 200 people. Respect in the practice room, kudos on stage.

So, all that said, get back into your practice room and start practicing.

You know what they say: “Go big or go home”

                          

A noticeable presence was Alibeck from Kazakhstan. He came out with a unique style and had some beautiful 4 tin and 1 bottle moves, shame we didn’t get chance to see the 5 tin stuff. Toru came over representing Japan and had some unique moves which he pulled off in style. Poland was in the house doing what they do best with Radslaw, Macaj and Marcin showing the Roadhouse how they do things over there, Polish style.

Highlight of the day was the aniticpated return of Antonio Mantelli and Luca Valentin. Antonio has been absent with an injury and hasn’t competed since the World finals so it was great to welcome him back and watch the crowd go crazy with his great personality, flair and stage presence. Luca Valentin dominated the heats with individual style, flair & innovative moves. He came over with 3 other Romanian Flair bartenders, Bogdan, Ionut & Cladiu. All of these guys displayed great moves and skill but out of the 3 Cladiu went through to the finals even though he was sick with a fever, what a weapon and a trooper, nice one!

So in the finals, Luca, Tom Dyer, Antonio, Alex, Rane & Cladiu. All bartenders wanted to better the next and they fought long and hard in their performances to get the ranking they deserved. Although it was clear that you can’t please everyone!
Cladiu and Rane all had good rounds but Cladiu went on to get himself a spot in the November World Final. I hope he recovers and comes back fit and well. Antonio Mantelli has stage presence you can’t help but dig. He constantly smiles and truly loves to perform and as a bartender is a pleasure to watch. Alex Searle had a good round but the battle was between Luca and Tom and whilst Luca’s moves were amazing and entertaining Tom Dyer went off and nailed some incredible stuff. It was nice to see the fire and passion back in Tom and hope he keeps it up.

So 1st place was Tom with Luca close in 2nd and Antonio in 3rd. Luca, Antonio and Cladiu all qualifying for the grand final. I’d like to personally thank Ben Martin, Vicki Patras and of course Timppa for flying over to judge. It was an absolute pleasure to have you in the building. Thank you. I also would like to wish all the bartenders competing in Romania & Croatia all the best of luck. Many thanks to Delirium TV and Finest call for your help on the day.

Oli Pluck

Guys dont forget that we are pushing the prepare to flair final back to October so we will be looking for young and fresh flair bartenders to be competing in Augusts competition along with the bar wars.
For more information please email Darren@roadhouse.co.uk

Videos coming soon!

                          

1st: Riccardo Mastromatteo
2nd: Marco Canova
3rd: Alessandro Pirillo
4th: Matteo Melara
5th: Mads Voorhoeve

                          

As far as I can remember, when I was 19 years old, I competed in my first flair comp at the bar where I was working at that time, because I could catch a bottle behind my back my boss kind of forced me to enter.

I messed up big time like everyone does on his first comp but it didn’t take long before I got the hang of it and started practicing more and more and entered the circuit of comps all around Europe.

My second competition I did was in Munich, Germany. The European Flair award. I got dragged along with my good friends from Barsupport in Holland that convinced me to go international and meet the guys that compete overseas and see that there is more than just the Dutch bar scene.

It wasn’t so much all the press, the crowd that turned out or the level of flair that caught my attention, it where the bartenders that really got me. This was my second flair comp ever and I only knew these guys from VCR (at that time). I was so surprised of the relaxed atmosphere between the competitors and the tight friendships among everyone. At that time I knew that this was it for me.

It didn’t take long before I got invited to a comp in Romania (M.B.A.’s first back in ‘03). I didn’t know anyone that competed or any of the organizers but I decided to book a flight to Bucharest and go for it. I traveled on my own and knew that everything would be okay after from what I saw in Munich.

It was a great comp and here I met ‘The Neil’s‘, Tom and Stretch, Captain Boogie and Mr Collinson, all guys that were doing the same as I, traveling, competing and enjoying the bartender lifestyle.

What I’m trying to say in this story, is that the international flair community is not just about bartending but also about meeting great people from all over the world, everyone speaks the same language, which is flair. Wherever you go in the world there are always bartenders that you’ve never met but they will take you into their house and show you their city and local bars.

So I have met some amazing people worldwide and got to know their drinking culture and habits.

I remember back in the days when Amsterdam hosted his first flair comp organized by the Hard Rock Café. Six hours before the comp, Tom Dyer phoned me up saying him, Stretch and both of the Neils where standing at the train station asking me if they could crash on my floor, after the comp was over. It turned out I had seven bartenders lying on my floor all having a great time and shared stories on where we’ve all been.

From great comps all over the world, to the scariest taxi ride of my life with some local bartenders thru the streets of Hong Kong doing gigs in Asia, dodgy bars in Prague with the ‘professor’ and great night views in Shanghai were I was setting up a new venue.

The people you meet along the road of bartending is just amazing, since everyone is just busy and focusing on one thing which is traveling and competing. The amount of different drinking cultures you experience while being overseas and habits that you can pick up from bartenders is just an amazing experience.

Being able to show the best of the best guys from Europe at the Roadhouse this year, but also seeing youngsters like Ivars from Latvia and Marcin from Poland stepping up the plate is such a privilege.

I can keep on talking about stories that I have lived through bartending but I guess I just want to say one last thing…God I love this industry, and I’m even more glad that I’m in the position where we (Delirium TV) can show the world more and more of this industry and give visibility to our stories.

For everyone who is reading this, whenever you are in Holland call me and we will show you our cities.

For now keep on checking out Delirium TV

Mike Breuker

Delirium TV

                          

1st Tom Dyer – place in SKYY global final
2nd Alex Searle
3rd David ‘Ginge’ Reynolds

                          

We had a lot of new names and fist timers on the Roadhouse stage and they came to impress!!! first four competitors represented Italy, Ukraine, Croatia & Latvia showing no fear and setting the bar high for the other competitors.

A great highlight of the day was watching Ivars Rutkovskis from Latvia taking the stage and delivering a routine that was very smooth and nice to watch. He qualified 10th in the heats just behind Roadhouse regulars it will be interesting to see what happens next with Ivars.

Another great showman of the heats was Simone Sinigaglia. Really embracing the crowd and showing other bartenders the benefits of crowd interaction, good to see and great to watch. Rane Tiainen, Lee Johnson, Marco Cicconi & Dillan Van Heusden were also battling between themselves to make the finals and only just missed out but the standard once again was amazing.

So the finals saw Mads Voorhoeve Qualify 6th, Alessandro Pirillo in 5th, Tom Dyer qualified in 4th with Anthony” I got some slick, sick moves” Pullen qualifying in a healthy 3rd place. Leaving Sylvain Glatigny just behind Alex Searle who impressed the judges with his skills enough to qualify in 1st place.

After a well fought out final Alessandro Pirillo came in 3rd and was definitely overjoyed with the outcome, leaving Tom Dyer in 2nd place and an extremely passionate Sylvain Glatingny clutching his 1st place Roadhouse trophy. It is always a pleasure to watch someone flair and know that they want to win so badly. It was a pleasure to see Sylvain flair and I look forward to following him through the year. He deserved to win and has done Bar Academy proud.

A shout out to our sponsors Finest Call, a big thank you to our judges. The legends that are Tug, Vicki Patras & Jay du Toit. They are known throughout the world for their skills, knowledge and talent.

Also thanks to Delirium TV for coming down to cover the event. Please check out deliriumtelevison.com for more information.

So qualifying for the world finals is Alessandro, Sylvain and Mads.

Get in contact for future events but be quick as spaces are limited. We are also hosting Prepare to Flair competition and also have the second round of The UK Bar Wars coming up on Sunday 13th June. If you want more information regarding those please contact Darren@roadhouse.co.uk.

That’s all from me and I look forward to seeing you all back down at the Roadhouse in May.

Oli Pluck

All pictures are copyrighted by Lenka Pellova

                          

1. Tomek Malek
2. Tom Dyer
3. Luca Valentin
4. Riccardo Matromatteo
5. Marco Canova
6. Marek Posluszny
7. Alex Searle & Sylvain Glatigny TIE
9. Sebastien Ogic
10. Martin Cebula

                          

1. David ‘Ginge’ Reynolds
2. Brenden Rodriquez
3. Eddie Weights
4. Jesper Callisen
5. Tony Malin
6. Batch

                          

1st Gianluigi Bosco
2nd Rodrigo Cao
3rd Eric Parker

                          

1st Lee Johnson
2nd Alex Searle
3rd Brendan Rodrigues