Hot News – July 2014

Updated: July 1, 2014

ENJOY THE USBG WORLD COCKTAIL CHAMPIONSHIP BROADCASTED LIVE ON FLAIRBAR.COM!
Press Release

The United States Bartenders’ Guild World Cocktail Championship 2014 will be broadcasted LIVE on Flairbar.com and hosted by Dean Serneels and Rob Husted. Catch all of the action starting at 8pm EST with 10 of the top USBG competitors battling it out in one round judged equally by 50% Flair and 50% Mixology. Let the bottle tossing and garnish flossing fun begin! The ten finalists competing are…

Manuel Picon
Miami, Florida

Will Isaza
Boston, Massachusetts

Luis Ortiz
Las Vegas, Nevada

Eric Parker
Las Vegas, Nevada

Mariano Gil
Houston, Texas

Colby Good
Las Vegas, Nevada

Dario Doimo
Las Vegas, Nevada

Danny Seigel
Miami, Florida

Sir Raminad Ong
New York, New York

Joshua Goldurs
Key West, Florida

To learn more you can CLICK HERE!

SVEDKA VODKA COMPETITION
Press Release

Do you have what it takes to mix it in the SVEDKA

SHAKEDOWN and Win $5,000?

SVEDKA wants to know so let the mixology games begin!

The SVEDKA SHAKEDOWN is giving new power mixers an opportunity to ice their competition by sabotaging their fellow bartenders. Impossible ingredients, challenging mixing conditions, ruthless eliminations- mixing up the best cocktail under pressure is only for the slyest of competitors. And nothing is out of bounds.

Which mixologist will prove the craftiest?

Sure, you can mix a mean cocktail, but just how cunning will you play and plot? Prepare to cut down your peers and take some risks. Bring on your swagger and earn your bragging rights. All contestants are charged with being pretentious so be smug and cocky! Snobbery and a swollen head are forgiven. Just don’t throw down until it counts. Answer this one question to test your nerve. Just how far will you go to win? Then get registered now!

To enter you can Click Here!

GRUPPO CAMPARI UNVEILS SKYY VODKA TV ADVERT
PRESS RELEASE

Gruppo Campari has launched a series of new US TV ads for its Skyy vodka brand.

The ads, airing nation-wide from today (9 July), take the form of a science presentation with a host explaining concepts such as tipping bartenders and mixing cocktails with the help of visual props. Campari claims the campaign “rethinks nightlife conventions”.

The “West of Expected” commercials will be supported by an out-of-home campaign featuring taglines including, “Vodka so filtered, we even took the Russia out of it” and “No artificial traditions added”, the Italian group said.

Total spend on the campaign was not disclosed.

In Campari’s last set of full-year results, Skyy’s global sales achieved organic growth of 2.7%, driven by Brazil, Germany and South Africa. In the US, Skyy’s sales were flat versus the prior year.

CHOPPED! BEST ABSOLUT BLOODY MARY COMPETITION
Press Release

CHOPPED! Best Bloody Mary in America perfected by Absolut®

Calling All Bartenders! ABSOLUT® Vodka and CHOPPED! are on the search for the country’s perfect Bloody Mary and the bartenders who create them. Finalists will be brought to NYC to shake, stir and pour the spiciest, most elaborate and delicious bloodies in the 50 states.

And even if you’re not a finalist, you can still join us on October 18, for the CHOPPED! Best Bloody Brunch perfected by ABSOLUT® at the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. Come taste the finalists’ recipes and place your vote along with Food Network celebrity chefs as they determine the best Bloody Mary in America.

To learn more you can CLICK HERE!

THE ROADHOUSE UK FLAIR COMPETITION

Roadhouse is an American themed bar & diner in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. Known throughout the world for its phenomenal bartenders and elite bar team, Roadhouse is also reputable for its recruitment process where only the ‘best of the best’ bartenders are selected to grace their presence & skill – making their own contribution to the success of the world famous Roadhouse.
That was then……..the year of 1999. Roadhouse identified the interest on Flair through the bartenders’ skills fast becoming a competitive game on shift, that we recognised the potential of bar teams all over London & beyond that we hosted an in-house Flair competition against another fellow Flair bar team, TGI Fridays. The night was so successful Roadhouse decided to develop the idea and open it up to the public…..this was the night where it all started.

Over the years the competition has been tweaked and molded to move with the times. People change, and so does the face of Flair. Roadhouse remains the leader in this field with the innovation of multi objects and strategic judging criteria. Still working on a ranking system and part of a league, Roadhouse utilises every month to make sure that the grand final holds host to the biggest names of flair in the world.
A special recognition must go out to Brett Seychelle who identified and pursued the interest in Flair to develop the Roadhouse Flair Competition. In addition to all who have participated, competed or contributed to Roadhouse Flair, we also thank previous organisers Troy, Andy Collinson, Lord Tugworth and Jay Du Toit for their involvement and promotion of the Roadhouse Flair competition, for whose efforts have made this competition the biggest in the world!!

FLAIR CALENDAR

February

Tom Dyer’s winning round from Roadhouse in February.

March

Luca Valentin’s winning round from Roadhouse in March.

30th Roadhouse World Challenge

Open to all international competitors. 2 places will be available for the Grand final in November.

(UK entrants will have their scores separated from international competitors and will be measured against their UK peers for the UK final in August. 3 spaces will be available for the UK Final)

April

Chicks with Flicks Video collage

13th Chicks with Flicks

Roadhouse will be holding the third ALL FEMALE flair competition in 13 years. Its a chance for all the great female flairers out there to show off their moves, and compete against an all girl line up. First place will win a whopping £1000, and a place in the Grand Final in November. Its a day not to be missed!!

27th Roadhouse World Challenge

Open to all international competitors. 2 places will be available for the Grand final in November.

(UK entrants will have their scores separated from international competitors and will be measured against their UK peers for the UK final in August. 3 spaces will be available for the UK Final)

May

18th Roadhouse World Challenge

Open to all international competitors. 2 places will be available for the Grand final in November.

(UK entrants will have their scores separated from international competitors and will be measured against their UK peers for the UK final in August. 3 spaces will be available for the UK Final)

June

29th Roadhouse World Challenge

Open to all International competitors. 2 places will be available for the Grand Final in November.

July

27th Roadhouse World Challenge

Open to all international competitors. 2 places will be available for the Grand final in November.

August

31st Roadhouse UK Final – UK Only

Every year, the UK’s finest dominate the Roadhouse stage to earn their UK ranking order. Battling it out live on the stage, we witness 25 of Britains Finest Bartenders going head to head, to see who will be crowned the UK champion.

September

14th – Chicks with Flicks

Roadhouse will be holding the fourth ALL FEMALE flair competition in 13 years. Its a chance for all the great female flairers out there to show off their moves, and compete against an all girl line up. First place will win a whopping £1000, and a place in the Grand Final in November. Its a day not to be missed!!

28th – Invite Only

October

26th October Roadhouse World Challenge and ZANTE REUNION

The Zante reunion has been a summer workers tradition thats working its way into its 8th year. After 6 solid months of drinking and working 7 days a week in the bar industry in the sunny island of Zante, all the workers meet up at Roadhouse for one last celebration to raise a glass to a great summer and to cheer on their favourite bartenders/conquests in true Zante style. This is a day NOT to be missed!

November

29th November Roadhouse World Challenge Grand Final

DAY 1
The first day of the Grand Final runs between 1pm-5pm, and will see all the World Final competitors completing a working flair drink, and getting their rankings for the next days exhibition flair.

30th November Roadhouse World Challenge Grand Final

DAY 2
The Grand Final will be in full swing, with the Best in the World competing for a whopping £10 000 1st prize!!!!!

For more info you can CLICK HERE!

BEAM SUNTORY’S JIM BEAM SIGNATURE CRAFT RANGE
by Olly Wehring

Available – From September

Location – US, in both on- and off-trade

Distribution – Beam Suntory

Beam Suntory has lined up three additions to its Jim Beam Signature Craft Bourbon line.

The Jim Beam Harvest Bourbon Collection will launch with two iterations, Soft Red Wheat and Brown Rice. These two grain Bourbons will be available “in extremely small quantities”. They both carry an abv of 45% and will retail at US$49.99 per 37.5cl bottle.

Four further grain expressions – Rolled Oat, Triticale, High Rye and Six Row Barley – will make up the full Harvest Bourbon Collection and will roll out throughout 2015.

Meanwhile, Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask will be the third expression in the Signature Craft line. Also a limited edition release, the 43% abv expression joins Jim Beam Signature Craft 12-Year, which launched last year.

The new iteration will have a SRP of $39.99 per 75cl bottle.

BARTENDERS BASH SERIES 2014

Welcome to the Bartenders Bash Series 2014! This event is spread out among multiple events where the bartenders accumulate points in different competitions until we have an overall winner. You can compete, consume, cheer on or just party your ass off with some of the top bartenders in the industry… THESE EVENTS ARE OPEN TO ANYBODY IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY and you don’t need to compete in the competitions to partake in the debauchery that is “ Bartender’s Bash”. It’s more of an insane couple of days of parting with different competitions around the party. Lol

Not only will you have an unforgettable time but you will learn a bit as well. You will be exposed to some of the newest brands to hit the market as well as some old favorites. Learn new recipes and techniques that you can take back to your bar or your favorite bartender. Whether you enjoy making or consuming cocktails… this event is for you. This is one of the longest running hospitality expos to date as well as it is held in paradise and if you can hang like a true bartender… ONE HELL OF A PARTY AS WELL!

Can you hang…?

This multi venue event starts down at June 17th 2014 at Ocean Manor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida then we move to Newport Beachside Resort July 27th 2014 in Miami, Florida. This multi-venue multi-date event is entirely based on “Blind Freestyle Exhibition Flair & Mixology” and competitors will accumulate points from both events in Flair and Mixology to determine the overall Bartenders Bash Series winner.

To get more info you can CLICK HERE!