IT’S 2012… DUST THE BOTTLES OFF THE SHELVES! What are you waiting for?

Updated: July 1, 2012

It’s a new year with new opportunities… what are you going to do about it?

It seems over the last couple of years that Flair has been hibernating here in the United States while it flourishes outside of the States. Why is that you ask? Who knows for sure… but some will say that Flair got to big for itself a little to quickly and the big egos came just as quick.

Up into the end of 2008, Flair bartending competitions were everywhere. It wasn’t hard to find a competition to travel to and meet old friends while if you were lucky enough to make some great money. With more money comes more problems. The competitions were getting more and more competitive and between prize money, paychecks and press for working visa’s here in the United States… the fun in Flair was dwindling down starting from the top.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not pointing any fingers and we all played our part but the great house of Flair seemed to tumble down from its biggest builders. Once something important is torn down… it is only a matter of time before it is built back up again. This time the great house of Flair is being built by a new generation.

That’s right, the new blood of Flair is bringing Flair to the forefront again. With so many small bartending competitions taking place across the globe being run by untainted individuals and competitors, the vibe, camaraderie, love, passion, sharing and more importantly FUN is back! The new faces of Flair are the same faces that were still learning how to stall a bottle while watching videos of the previous Flair giants on Youtube, DVD’s and Flairbar.com.

I’m happy to say I’m looking to the future and smiling… “VIVA LA FLAIR!”

One example of the grass roots movement I saw was in San Antonio, Texas at TFBC3 (Texas Flair Bartending Challenge 3) organized by Carlos Lomeli whom I remember meeting during one of his first time competing at one of the last Legends of Bartending in Las Vegas a few years back. It’s refreshing to see that passion become of something. You can see what he and many others accomplished all on our ‘Comp Reviews‘ page by Terrie Leeseberg.

The winner of TFBC3 was Luis Ortiz from Peru. Watch and learn as he teaches us a working Flair bottle & tin sequence all on our ‘Masterclass’ page. The Puerto Rican kid does it again!

From one great bartender to another… Danny Seigel. Danny is part of the new blood of Flair and not only is he an accomplished Flair bartender but a knowledgeable mixologist as well… get to know all of that and more all on our ‘Interviews’ page entitled “Balancing Flair with Mixology!”.

After reading about the Bartenders Bash Series down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida… you can recreate the qualifying recipes all on our ‘Flavors’ page where we showcase the “Bartender Bash Beauties”. Grab some 360 Vodka & Finest Call Premium Sours and enjoy!

From recreating cocktails to being inspired to great cocktails while entertaining in a high volume atmosphere… Check out “Hybrid Mixology” all on our ‘Articles’ page by Rob Husted. Join the evolution.

Once you have created your own cocktails you can share that knowledge with others on our ‘Cut Off’ page formally written by Tobin Ellis of Barmagic.com. Tobin always had an edgy and informative style to his writing… we thought long and hard who could fill those shoes… and the result is… YOU! That’s right, we are turning over our popular ‘Cut Off’ page to you our loyal readers to give you a chance to sound off, share, inspire and motivate each other to greatness. So check out “Drinkdub” under our ‘Cut Off’ page and keep the conversation going…

“Drinkdub” is just one of the FREE features from Flairbar.com. You can also check out past “Flairbar.com Live!” re-broadcasts there as well. BIG THANKS to our sponsors for their continued support and giving us the tools and funding to give you our loyal readers, great content and fun new features.

For all of you other mixologists out there… Don’t forget to contribute to our content collector called ‘Cocktails’. This is where you can share your own Absolut Vodka and Finest Call cocktail recipes with the rest of the world and get credit for it. Have a great drink you invented? Want to share it with the rest of the world? Think it is worthy? Prove it!

Next check up on one of our most animated characters here at Flairbar.com “Flairing Freddy” on our ‘Flairmation’ page. See Freddy and how he is preparing for Summer Flair 7. Enjoy!

Check out the ‘Glossary’ page if your new to Flair and Mixology and your still learning the lingo. Be sure to keep an eye on it as we will continue to keep adding to this on going database of bartending knowledge.
Next we have a new ‘Reader Contest’ for our loyal Flairbar.com readers. Plus our regular features, more ‘Barware’, more pages, and more Flair than you can shake an FBA award at.

So take some time out and enjoy a cocktail with Absolut Vodka or 360 Vodka and Finest Call cocktail as you flip a Flairco bottle into a BarProducts tin and enjoy this months issue of Flairbar.com and say “Thank You” to the sponsors who keep our sport alive.