Flair Artistically Expressed! – Nicolas Saint-Jean Interviewed

Updated: September 1, 2006

Bringing back the art of Originality… Mr. Nicolas Saint-Jean. He has a style all his own. From Originality to art in motion, Nicolas is always entertianing to watch. He was the first winner of the King of the Ring competition and has the ring to prove it. He was one of the first Flair bartenders to promote Flair bartending in a liquor commercial and is now organizing Flair competitions as well. He is a force to be reckoned with in our vast world of Flair and has nothing to prove to anybody. So stop practicing balancing drinks on a barspoon on your forearm and mix up a nice Skyy cocktail mixed with some Finest Call and enjoy ;-).

Age? 32.

Where are you from? from Bordeaux, South of France.

How long have you’ve been Bartending? 9 years.

And Flair Bartending? 9 years too.

Where do you work? I don’t work in bars anymore since I have my own Flair school now where I teach students from all over the world. It’s kind of cool because I get to practice a lot. I still perform shows for special events in different countries and this allows me to meet new people who are interested in learning the art of Flair. I also have sponsorship from Midori melon liqueur and Sputnik vodka and I am currently organizing my own Flair competition which will be held in October .

How did you start out learning to Flair? When I first came to London, I worked in bars and really enjoyed finding new ways to entertain customers. This is how I gradually became passionate about Flair and I spent a lot of time practicing and through this I was able to develop my creativity.

Tell us about the Bartending scene in the UK (More Flair, Mixology, etc…)? Mixology is still the king of the London bartending scene, but Flair has found its own place in the bar industry, with some established competitions taking Flair to a bigger audience. Flair attracts the youth through its creativity, the challenges it brings and of course, the fun!!!

To us about your company Flairmotion and what you do? I opened my company Flairmotion in 2005, it’s a brand, a school, an idea, I teach students at the school which is based in east london. (www.flairmotion.com). I also will be launching dvds which include footage from some of my world tours with my Flairmotion crew and various competitions. Through Flairmotion, I am able to spread my philosophy of Flair.

Describe to us your style of Flair? My style is always changing and I wouldn’t know how to describe it. All I know is I try to create original moves which have never been seen before. I don’t really consider juggling to be Flair, so I am always thinking of unique ways to impress the crowd. If juggling was to be considered Flair, there would be only one style.

What makes you stand out from other Flair Bartenders? That’s my secret…!

What do you hope to get out of Flair? An interesting way of life and a lot of fun!

What is your favorite Flair Bartending competition and why? I don’t really have one particular favorite comp. There is always a new event to look forward to.

Who do you look up to in this Sport? Steve Locke, who taught me the basics and his friend Leigh Miller, I admired their originality and showmanship.

What are your thoughts on the FBA Pro Tour, (likes and dislikes)? I don’t really follow these competitions, because I prefer a more freestyle aproach to Flair but anything that promotes Flair is always a good thing!

If you could help influence Flair to change our sport somehow, what would it be and why? I am working on it by teaching people how to express themselves individually as opposed to copying other peoples moves.

What are your plans now? I am organizing the head to head competition and am currently working on the release of the first Flairmotion dvd, “OnThe Edge” coming soon!

What are some common myths about the profession of Flair Bartending? I wasn’t aware there were myths!

How often do you practice? Whenever I get the chance!

What is your advice to some of the new people wanting to start competing, any helpful hints? Practice, practice, practice…and then practice some more…

Tell us about your first Flair Competition and your experiences there, What were you feeling, Did everything go as planned? My first competition was in London 2000, I went on first and managed to drop the bar on the dance floor! Amazing experience, I still went through to the finals and won it!

Describe to us what your ultimate Flair competition would consist of? Flairmotion, Head to Head in London on the 30th of October.

Tell us about your Flair competition coming up? You can check up for the rules on the Flairmotion website. For the first time the bartenders will be battling against each other displaying their ultimate moves… check it out…

What are your thoughts on the first King of the Ring competition and how you felt competing and ultimately winning the whole event? It was an amazing feeling to be there and to win the contest, I wanted to show people that originality is as important as difficulty. It was also the first time I competed in America and it meant a lot to me.

Tell us about your relationship with your friends and how Flair bartending has affected that (You seem really close with the core group of friends, Does it put a strain on it at times or help)? No we are really good friends and all have one common interest which brings us together. It’s also a good thing that I have such a cool and understanding girlfriend!

Where do you see the future of Flair Bartending? Without limits!

What obstacles do you see our sport of Flair Bartending encountering in the near future and in your opinion, how can we over come them? There are plenty of ways to bring Flair to a larger crowd, organizing events, comps… spreading the word…!

If you had the opportunity to convince a skeptical Bar manager to hire a Flair Bartender, How would you go about it? I would tell the skeptical bar manager to watch the Flair bartender making a cocktail.

Why don’t you compete in many Flair Bartending competitions in the United States? It has nothing to do with America, I haven’t competed since 2004.

What is your favorite drink? The Mojito is one of my favorite cocktails, refreshing and strong.