Mixology Meets Flair

• July 9, 2015
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Last month we were invited to perform at a cocktail competition held at Good Lion Bar here in Santa Barbara. The competition called for the contestants to make the best Negroni in town. This challenge attracted some of the finest local craftsmen who amazed the crowd with creative ingenuity and impressed tough judges with their all around expertise.

For us going to a mixology competition to perform flair was an exciting opportunity to demonstrate our life long ideology. We truly believe in the idea of flair bartending and craft cocktails going hand and hand complimenting each other. We always want to introduce and educate others on our way of thinking and this event was the perfect opportunity. We wanted to show that it doesn’t have to be flair versus mixology, but instead that bartending is an umbrella and has subdivisions under it. Flair and mixology fall under the wide category of bartending and each adds to the experience people have when at a bar.

Our performance happened to be a great example of how we combine the two bartending categories. We were surrounded by amazing talent and were attending an esteemed event so we knew we had to bring more than just flair. For the occasion we created smoky Negroni shots poured rainbow style.

To start with we used Ford’s Gin, which is aromatic and rich, yet has a deep junipero flavor perfect for slightly savory smoky shots. In order to get a unique flavor but still preserving the good name of Negroni, we split the rest of the ingredients in equal parts of passoa – a Brazilian passion fruit liqueur – and your usual suspects of campari and sweet vermouth. To add a dramatic appearance for the drink we finished with the oldest trick in the book – adding dry ice for a smoking effect. All of this adds up to a delicious variation on a classic cocktail served with a lot of style. We gave the audience an experience everyone could enjoy and demonstrated the power of flair and mixology united.

The event was a great success for us and everyone involved. It had energy, prestige and intensity for the competitors that translated to us and added to our performance. But most importantly, there were judges, people in the crowd, and the competitors all of whom were applauding Flair Project’s stunning show and genuine charisma. We were able to clearly demonstrate to them that mixology and flair can work together in order to enhance the bartending experience.

We always admire other companies that follow the same ideology. Check out our friends at Spin and Shake in the UK.