THE NEXT CONTENDER? – Dario Doimo Interviewed

How long have you’ve been Bartending? 7 and half years.

And Flair Bartending? The same.

Where do you work? Currently at “Kahunaville” inside Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas.

What got you into Flair Bartending? I have to tell you, back in the day the movie “Cocktail” impressed me, but i didn’t really think that was possible. I thought that was just special effects… then in 2002 my brother took an American bartender course where they taught him some basic stuff, after that he got home and showed me a tin toss behind the back I was hooked…
How did you start out learning to Flair? At the end of 2002 I took an American bartender course, (same school where my brother went to) where I learned how to make drinks and a little bit of Flair.. then I saw some video from Roadhouse where I was very impressed with Toby Hilton’s style, from then on I started practicing every chance I got..

Tell us about the Flair scene in Las Vegas? To be honest, due to the economy and lack of comps, the Flair scene is at a decline. However thanks to people such as Mark Green and David Tuttleman, constantly pushing Flair, they are working hard to bring new talent to the vegas scene. As of now they are over 50 people from around the world auditioning for the new bar… for more info check www.rockandritas.com.

Tell us about the new Rock & Ritas bar in Las Vegas? The concept is to feature 20 of the best bartenders in the world. The 3 bars would be inside the “Circus Circus” casino where there would be performing Flairshows through out the day.

Are you going to be working there and how do you think they will do? Based on the location being on the strip, I think we are gonna be busy… one think for sure is its gonna be a blast to finally work with all my friends.

What does Kahunaville do for Team Kahuna? They sponsor us for the major comps in the United States like Legends and Quest.

How is it working for Kahunaville, Mark Green and David Tuttleman? I enjoy been part of Team Kahuna, thanks to them I’m living in Las Vegas right now. Even if I don’t work much, due to union rules. Hopefully I will be able to work at the new place on a regular bases.

What makes you stand out from other Flair Bartenders? I’m 6′ 5″ …is that enough??:)
Behnam said I’m super tall, super skinny and I can bump more then most people can’t count with my thumb up… ahahaha. On a serious note I just try to be very original and technical, always working hard on my style.

What do you hope to get out of Flair? To be honest I have already accomplished many things… however I’m looking forward to the future because I have many more goals in this sport.

What is your favorite Flair Bartending competition and why? I love and enjoy every competition I go to, but if I have to choose one I would say Legends of bartending… is really hard to prepare but at the same time when the competition is done you feel proud of your work.

Who do you look up to in this Sport? Sincerely right now nobody, but when I first started I looked up to Toby Hilton, Francesco Leoni, Christian Delpech and Adriano Marcellino.

Why did you compete at Summer Flair 4? It is one of those competitions where you don’t have to stress over. I always enjoy myself on stage and I love South Florida..

Tell us about your thoughts going into Summer Flair 4 and all the preparation beforehand? At first I thought it was gonna be a challenge because as we all know it is very hard to Flair with the Absolut Vodka bottle, but once I started to practice with it… I actually like the bottle.

Once the competition started, what were your thoughts on being able to beat the past winners of the event, Rodrigo Cao and Rodrigo Delpech? I never worry about the competition, I just focus on my routine and try to perform to the best of my ability.

When you were on stage at Summer Flair 4 and they announced you as the winner… what were your thoughts? Obviously it was a nice surprise, as I said before I enjoy myself on stage and when you win you feel accomplished.

In your opinion, what makes a good Flair bartender? A good mix between a carefree attitude and know how to take care of your guest.

Do you think our sport of Flair bartending is on the rise or decline and why? I think its on a rise, many bartenders have improved in the last couple years. Every competition I go to I see more and more bartenders pushing the limits with multiple objects.

How often do you practice? It depends if I have a competition or not, some days I don’t practice at all, others 3-4 hours… except for Legends where I can spend most of the day in the garage.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a Flair bartender? There are no disadvantages, many stereotypes about us and some might think we are just jugglers but people who know about this business know that’s not true.

What is your advice to some of the new bartenders wanting to learn Flair Bartending? My advice for the new Flair bartenders is to take advantage of all the technology out there (like youtube, training dvds etc.), but remember to use it to inspire you, YOU CAN ONLY IMPROVE YOURSELF BY PRACTICING YOUR ASS OFF!

In your opinion, what is Mixology? Its the art of making a well balanced cocktail and being creative with making new cocktails.

Do you think Flair bartenders embrace Mixology? Some appreciate it very much, some don’t care because mixology takes a lot of time and the rules at the competitions limit the amount of Flair that you can do.

Tell us about your experiences working in a Flair bar in Las Vegas now rather then a few years ago? There is not much difference, the only difference is there are less Flair bars in Las Vegas now a days.

Do you think being a good Flair Bartender behind the bar has to slow down your service as well? I don’t think so, if you have 15 people waiting for their drinks you can’t do a 4 tin bottle routine for every drink. It is not about how many items you can Flair, Flair could be just flip of a tin behind the back or toss a garnish into the drink, you need to know when to show off and when not to! It may be hard to believe but most of the Flair bartenders are faster then regular bartenders!

What is the secret to being one of the top Flair bartenders in the world? Very simple, practice and be dedicated to your craft!

What are the deciding factors that make someone a “Top Flair bartender in the world”? You must bring something new to the table and be entertaining at the same time.

Now that both Delpech brothers are retired from Legends… What do you think your chances are winning again this year and do you think you are the man to beat for 2010? Obviously when you think of Legends a Delpech name is coming to mind, but even if they don’t compete, Legends is never easy to win, I never think I’m the favorite entering a competition, I take each competition one at a time and focus on my show.

What obstacles do you see our sport of Flair Bartending encountering in the near future and in your opinion, how can we overcome them? The major obstacle is Flair bartending deals with alcohol and most major corporations shy away from that, but if we can somehow get more visibility through commercials and movies with Flair… we would be moving in the right direction.

Are there different avenues for sponsorship that we should pursue? Absolutely… we should not limit ourselves to the liquor company’s which is obvious choice, for example Nascar doesn’t have only sponsors related to cars, they are also sponsored from beer companys and etc…

Do you think corporations and sponsors investing in Flair bartenders is an effective way to promote and educate and why? I think “WE” as bartenders can push the product because we understand and we have the power behind the bar because customers listen to us. As a bartender one of our jobs is to educate our guests with the knowledge of the products that we have.