Melbourne Flair Bartenders - Where Art Thou?

When I first saw the movie cocktail as a teenager back in the early 90's - I wanted to do it and to live the lifestyle played out on the big screen by Tom Cruise. My grandfather was a bar manager on the Central Coast of NSW and this guy was my idol... he knew what the ladies were into - it was Pimms and Dry Ginger back in his day. Now it's Cosmos and anything as long as it ends with 'tini... He poured beers and Pimms well, but I knew Tommy poured them with a style that i wanted to emulate...

It was many years later when i stepped behind my first bar - TGI Fridays in Doncaster back in 1998. I practiced throwing stuff around all day, everyday - anything from mixing tins, bottles, glassware to napkins, ice, straws, bottle blades and I LOVED IT!

Flair wasn't just about throwing stuff around, it was about the way you made the drink, presented and served the drink; it was definitely about the way you entertained, served, listened and remembered every guest that sat on the other side of the bench...

I saw myself as an entertainer, a host, an artist, a counselor, a listener, a performer - i did it all with flair and all with style.

I recently began flairing again because i saw that the art has all but died out in this country, or at least in this state. Melbourne had a thriving flair bartending scene back in the day - i ran with boys such as Sammy Cameron, Nick Chamberlin, Jay Mitchell, Andy Smith and others who were flipping amazing to watch when you put them behind a bar... but the lack of money forced these fellas overseas, into 'real' jobs or into management where they were able to earn more and get appreciated for their trade.

Flair needs to come back to Australian shores. I thank God for Melbourne's amazing cocktail culture. Their are some amazing mixoligists working in this state but none who throw, spin and flip the bottle and tin like they did in the old days let alone like they still do it (to a whole new FREAKY DEAKY level overseas)... in the likes of Bar Wizards Neil Garner, Neil Lowrey, Tom Dyer, Nicholas St Jean - and these guys are literally just a few out of hundreds of Flairers who train, compete, perform, play and get PAID for the art/sport they live!!

I would love to see some young Flair Bartenders being trained and raised up to compete on the international Flair Scene - i would like to see an Aussie and specifically a Melbourne kid win Roadhouse, UFBC and the Paris Flair Open to name only a few - but who will compete and represent?

Thanks to all y'all Mixoligists out there but let's bring back the Flair to Melbourne...

Check out these links:

www.barwizards.net
www.roadhouseflair.com
www.flairmotion.com