THE BIRTH OF BOTTLESLINGER

And so it began…

About five years ago, I was enjoying life and having tons of fun partying hard, bartending, meeting people, traveling the world doing shows, competing, practicing, training… basically practice by day, party by night. I was living a great life, traveling, competing, and hanging out and partying with the best Flair bartenders in the world.

The training, the nightlife, the after parties, the booze, the women, the life, the good times…

When one night I was at work and this guy comes up to my bar and is watching me Flairing and having fun at work. He ended up leaving, but he came back the next week and again, he watched and sipped on his drink. Later he came up to me to introduce himself.

He says, “Hi, I’m Nick, and I will get some shooters, but I’ll need a show…” So, I continue to make his round of shots, did a big Flair show for him and poured them out.

He says “I have never seen anyone do what you do and have such a great time, you should film this stuff!”

This Nick guy also wanted to learn how to Flair, so I told him to come back the next day and I would teach him a few things.

Sure enough, the next afternoon, he shows up to learn how to Flair. A few weeks went by and he came back each day to learn more and more Flair. We continued to talk more about his idea…

He said to me “These are some amazing times, with great people… your life, being so normal to you, this is the way you live, whenever we go out, something happens, there is always a story to tell, this is what so many people would want to see, to get a glimpse of what you do, how you party, how you live as a Flair bartender…” and again he asked me, “Have you ever considered putting your life on tape?”

It was about that time when it started to hit me that this guy wasn’t going to leave me alone. But I also realized that what we were talking about could actually work. This could be an opportunity to take Flair Bartending, something that I love, and showcase it to the world. We could showcase the best Flair bartenders in the world, in their own environments. It could be something that anyone could watch and be entertained by. Whether they are a Flair bartender or not, something new and fresh…

I liked the idea, but now I only had one big concern… What would my Mom think???

Nick asked me if there were any Flair bartending videos available for him to watch and get an idea what types of things were already out there. I gave him several videos to go over (most of which were instructional) and he came back to me with one in particular that I told him was my favorite and it turned out that he really liked it as well. It was called The Underground Flair Video starring Alan Mays, Ken Hall, Steve Busher and Todd Connell. Looking back I now realize that this was probably the first non instructional, entertainment Flair video ever. We also watched several installments of CKY and Big Brother videos. We had our inspiration and we began to put our idea into action.

After a few more weeks of talking about the concept, we decided to look into getting our own video equipment. A few weeks later we were sitting in my basement thinking of a cool name for our new project, and the rest is history…

For a year and a half, we filmed, and partied with our final product in mind. Not knowing exactly what it would turn out like, we were having fun and doing what we loved.

So, we began traveling and filming our great friends, Flair bartending Legends like Adriano Marcellino, Christian Delpech, Rodrigo Delpech, Francesco Leone, Mindaugus Gradeckus, Ed Hibbert, Ken Hall, Christian and Dorian Oldan, Juan Llorente, Danny Rossi, Matius Supan, Marc Mital, Grant Riel, Tony Cogburn, Shawn Oana, Ian Bartos and others in their working environments as well as in their day to day (or should I say night to night) lives.

Luckily they were all very supportive, but at the time, I don’t think that they really knew what it was for. I told them, “Just keep Flairing, we are making the best Flair bartending DVD ever!! Do you wanna be in it or not?? Now it’s time to drink so quit being a pussy, were all going out after and the camera is coming!

So, after over 100 hours of filming, a few hundred bottles of crown, a few missing teeth, and a whole load of good times, we ended up editing it down to just over an hour, and finally had our finished copy. Bottleslinger the Movie was “finally here”. We set up a DVD release party in Vegas at Kahunaville the night after Legends 5. Everyone would be there; it was the perfect time to show off our newest project to the Flair world…

Pull over, get out of the truck, and go inside!

Everything after that was a blur.  It was Sunday evening, Feb 29, 2004, at approximately 8pm.  I was driving down to the USA to visit Chambers and the boys in Everette to party, have a few Hobgoblins, do a Flair show, have a few more Hobgoblins, and show off the brand new Bottleslinger the Movie.  It was now one week before Legends 5.  I had not missed a year of Legends since its conception, and wasn’t planning on missing this one.  I had my practice bottles and my binder for Legends in a milk crate all buckled up in the back seat.  I was ready for the comp, I just finished working that weekend and wanted to get out of town, have a few drinks, relax, and see some old friends before myself and a crew of 50 take to the clouds en route to SinCity.  I thought I was getting pulled over and going inside quick to do the old “in and out” and then be on my way as usual.

As it turns out, the exact opposite happened, and I have not set foot in the USA since.
I cannot comment further at this time about it, as I am still working at getting back.  I love the States, love going there, and look forward to seeing all of my good friends down south sometime again in the future.  (As the Big Bad Wolf always says.”Keep the Faith”)  I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but when it happens, be ready for the return of the Mac!!

As you can imagine, I was devastated.  The Legends of Bartending has always been a comp that I look forward to every year.  It is not just the energy of the event and the camaraderie of the competitors, but also seeing so many great friends in the same place is always something to get excited about.  (Not to mention I had a brand new grill to show off and a new DVD to release!).

I was looking forward to competing in my 5th straight Legends.  As it turns out, I was given the Iron Man Award of Legends for being the only person to compete every year since it began in 1999, and would not even be there to accept it! Thank goodness for my handle of Crown and a few good friends.

On to brighter pastures. I heard that the release party went amazing and everyone loved the DVD. It was good to hear, except I was at home, and everyone else was in Vegas. (Thanks for all of your messages). When Nick got home, we sat back to reflect on what we accomplished and realized that we were getting more and more hungry to keep doing what we love to do… So, back to the Camera we went in search of more bars to pillage, and more bartenders to showcase, and more and more good times… from Canada to Korea, Vegas to Orlando (not me of course). Bottleslinger 2 was well on its way. We wanted to make this one bigger and better than the last. This DVD again showcases the best of the best like Adriano Marcellino, Christian Delpech, Rodrigo Delpech, Francesco Leone and more….

We hosted some of the craziest parties, with some of the hottest, wildest, and the most beautiful girls around! Wet-T and Beer Chugging comps, insane Flair Bartending, Bottleslinger 2 takes you to the edge and back. Its was turning out to be just how we envisioned it… Action Packed, Uncensored, and Completely Out of Control!!! Ready for release, Bottleslinger 2 was released last summer at the Pinnacle of Bartending 5, right here in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. What a show!!!

It must go on…The Bottleslinger show continues!!! Since last year and since we can’t travel to the States anymore, Bottleslinger has been forced to pillage and debauterize new countries over seas.  We decided to pack our bags, convert our coin into sweet quid, and take to the sky, en route to our first European destination and the birth of Bottleslinger 3.
This 21 day, 8 country collection of absolute pandemonium and wall to wall alcohol is being edited as I write this.  I caution you to be ready for the action packed third edition of Bottleslinger that you will have to once again, see to believe. Be ready for lots of great and new exciting things from Bottleslinger in the years to come.

If anyone out there has a band or knows a band that rocks, and they would like their music to be featured the next Bottleslinger DVD, please send us an email to info@bottleslinger.com.

Also coming up this summer the 6th Pinnacle of Bartending Championship.  That’s right big number six.  If you have seen our Bottleslinger Video’s you understand how fun this competition is and this year won’t disappoint.  The CEO and President of the Pinnacle of Bartending Championships met just weeks ago to decide where and when to hold this prestigious event.  We are looking at mid summer as we always do, so stay tuned to the FBA calendar and www.bottleslinger.com for all of the upcoming details.  Since I can’t come and see you, you better come and see me.

Always live life how you want to, make sure it’s worthwhile, and let the good times roll!!

Until we belly to the bar again to raise our glasses, Or compete once more so I can kick all your asses.

Belly Up,
Chuck McIntosh.