Bar Champs

If anyone has ever seen the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise then you know what bartending flair is.  Bartending flair is doing tricks with bottles, cups, shakers, or anything else you can throw up in the air or spin.  Interesting fact, for the movie, Tom Cruise was trained by bartenders from the establishment that I worked at.  This story is part one of a three part series as I discuss my journey through what is called the “Bartending Championships” or bar champs for short and everything that happened after.

Bar champs is a series of test that ends with “The Show.”  The test covers the food menu, drink recipes, and even a pour test (testing the ability to pour certain ounces).  The show is making a series of drinks while performing flair. At the end, all of the scores are tallied from the test and judges scores and a grand total is given.  Whoever has the highest score wins.  This was the first year of bar champs so I did everything I could to prepare, practice, study, and be ready to win it.  Because the winner would get $150.00 and go to Nashville, Tennessee for regionals (I am a Titans fan so I definitely had to try and win it).

Going into the show I was in second place after testing so I was a little nervous.  I had to make sure that I blew the judges and crowd away with my show.  I went to the drawing board and thought of extra tricks I could do to wow everyone (I’ll explain exactly what I did later).  So they day of the show came and I was really nervous, people started showing up and I decided to go out back and practice my routine.  After successfully landing my tricks I was ready to perform.  A few people went before me and I had confidence that I could win because their show wasn’t that impressive.  The day before, I went to a Halloween costume rental place and rented a red pimp coat with white and black fur lining and a hat to match.  I also purchased a cane studded in jewels to complete the outfit.  I asked two of my female coworkers to walk in with me (they were my hoes) to take my jacket, hat, and cane when they left.  I had this old 70’s song playing when I walked in and the crowd went crazy, they got louder when I took the coat off because I had on a sleeveless work shirt.

After that, the DJ played the popular song of that time and I began flipping bottles and making drinks.  One particular drink I made was a bloody mary, I had a tall glass with a piece of celery connecting the shorter glass for the bloody mary.  So when I poured the drink down the celery it filled the smaller glass.  Another trick that I did involved a plastic martini glass that I drilled a hole in.  I had it stacked on something so when I filled the martini glass it flowed into another glass.  After everyone did their show they tallied the scores and was ready to announce the winner.  They announced the third and second place and at that time I realized I won.  This was the first bar champs, my first time flairing and I had won.  Now it was time to get ready for regionals where the competition would be stiffer.

Stay tuned next Friday for part two of “Bar Champs” I will discuss what happened in regionals.  Also be on the lookout Monday for the “Recipe of the Week: Life Saver.”

            These stories are real accounts, so if you plan to drink and have a good time do so responsibly. Remember to call a cab or a friend because the cost of a DWI is way more than a $20 cab ride home. Also, if you plan or happen to take someone home use protection. For two reasons, one there are many STD’s floating out there and it only takes one to ruin your life or that of others. The second reason is because a $3 condom is less expensive then 18 years of raising a child.