Wine Enthusiast |
- Can Flair Bartending Transition from Social Media to the Post-Pandemic Bar Scene?
- You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz: 10 of Our Favorites From Around the World
- Wine Enthusiast Podcast: Exploring the Drinks Influence of First Australians
| Can Flair Bartending Transition from Social Media to the Post-Pandemic Bar Scene? Posted: 26 May 2021 05:00 AM PDT  For the last 20 years, cocktail culture has trended toward the deadly serious. Before the pandemic, bartenders-turned-mixologists would craft sophisticated tipples with niche spirits in hushed neo-speakeasies. But these days, if you scroll through certain corners of social media, you might be convinced we're living in the bottle-throwing, shots-on-fire days of Cocktail and Coyote Ugly. It's the post-millennial, post-cocktail revolution return of flair bartending. Championed by TGI Fridays in the 1980s, and peaking in the 1990s, flair bartending combined juggling, showmanship and even a bit of magic to create a flamboyant style that was perfect for the boomtime era. Over the past two decades, that subculture retreated largely to cities like Las Vegas and the international competition circuit, where bartenders perform elaborate choreographed routines, often to thumping electronic music, in front of cheering fans. Championships like OlyBet Flairmania and the World Flair Association Grand Slam, with their timers, color commentators, intense judging panels and global slate of competitors, feel like some high-stakes hybrid of poker, UFC and figure skating. The pandemic paused such events, but TikTok and Instagram have emerged as unexpected hotbeds of the style. The hashtag #flairbartending has 226 million views on TikTok and counting. "I think that flair bartending and social media platforms are a perfect marriage, because of their short-burst ability," says Chris Cardone, who tends bar at New York City restaurant I Sodi and teaches flair bartending. The pandemic, he says, "has allowed bartenders more free time to create new flair routines," which allows them to "let [their] creative energy flow." These trick-filled demonstrations feel like a twist on the platform's viral dance routines.
French bartender Anne-Lise Jouenne (@annelise_bartender7) has 281,200 TikTok followers. She received more than three million views for her bottle-tossing videos, many set against iconic backdrops like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. "TikTok became very famous during the pandemic, and a few flair bartenders became influencers," she says. "In France, most people didn't know flair bartending before the pandemic." TikTok rewards interactivity, so Jouenne's engaging videos often inspire "duets" from fans. "Sometimes it's serious, but most of the time it's funny because they try to do very difficult things without any practice," she says. Netherlands-based bartender Milou Roberts has practiced flair since 2016 and counts herself among "a small group of crazy Dutch folks who are training and competing." A relative newcomer to social media, her humor-filled Instagram account (@cocktailsbymelone) includes catchphrases like "What time is it? It's shot o'clock!" With many bars closed, "there is much more engagement between flair bartenders on social media," where they interact through challenges, comments and online courses, she says. "I don't want to sound cheesy, but I love the flair community," says Roberts. "They are like family for me."
Zack Prohaska, the Toronto-based bartender behind Cocktails & Dreams (@cdbartending), a bartending school that offers a robust flair program, believes the pandemic changed attitudes toward everything in hospitality, including flair bartending. "It showed the importance of engaging your guests and learning something new," says Prohaska. "I was going into a record-breaking year, and then Covid came in and deleted all of that. But being able to flair opened up my business to virtual events." Prohaska moved his bartending school online in May 2020, and flair quickly emerged as his most popular course. Companies soon started to hire him for mixology workshops to boost morale for Zoom-weary employees. "It was like, 'Who's gonna want to sit on the computer and watch me throw bottles around?' " he says. "It's been the busiest event season of my entire life." He's approaching 800,000 TikTok followers. Flair can be too time-consuming for a real-world bar setting, but TikTok has afforded bartenders the chance to indulge their showboating sides. "Most of my viral videos are me doing exactly what I teach bartenders not to do," says Prohaska with a laugh. "I like to tell my bartenders, obviously, speed comes first. Don't get caught up with the flair." In his most viral post, a follower challenged Prohaska to make a rum and Coke "super extra." For a full minute, he bounces bottles off his biceps, juggles shakers, catches a lemon on a knife, and balances the completed drink on a barspoon on his chin. The video has been viewed almost 14 million times. "Most of my comments are exactly what I teach people," he says. " 'Bro, hurry up and make my drink.' "  Now that millions have watched people flip bottles online, will they expect this when they return to bars? "Call me a surly flair veteran, but I have a 'we'll see' kind of attitude with almost all bartending trends," says Cardone. "There are a lot of people, myself included, who believe 2022 will be very similar to the Roaring Twenties. I think more people will be out, spending more and celebrating the end of the pandemic, which certainly does create an environment that is conducive to flair bars and flair bartenders." Flair faces an uphill battle in markets like New York City, which Cardone's mentor, Tobin Ellis, has called "the black hole of flair bartending." "Without a doubt, the majority of guests in New York City strangely root against you when they see you flair," he says. "They would much prefer to see you drop or break a bottle than successfully complete a flair move or technique." Success in a post-pandemic world may involve a subtler form of "working" flair, as it's called in the business. "I see it catching on, but not the flair that everybody thinks of," says Prohaska. "Not the juggling and stuff. The proper techniques." From the way you manipulate the jigger to how precisely you cut your pour, every bit of style grabs attention, says Prohaska. Customers may not know that they're witnessing flair technique, but when people see something "slightly more elegant or stylized," they're more inclined to tip better, he says. "If you can make a drink 15 seconds without flair, and you can make a drink 15 seconds with flair, I can guarantee you the bartender that's doing it with flair is making more money," says Prohaska. Simple moves like tossing a cocktail shaker from hand to hand or twirling a jigger is flair bartending shrunk down to size—a purely aesthetic move designed to grab attention. "What I envision is that a very service-based style of working flair will continue to grow and become a standard of service at bars," says Cardone. "A bartender who can make great balanced cocktails with a very high level of hospitality who can also flair is a very rare thing and something that I hope we start to see more and more of. Fingers crossed." |
| You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz: 10 of Our Favorites From Around the World Posted: 26 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT  Originating in France, Syrah has made it’s way around the world to wine regions in Washington, New Zealand, Italy and beyond. In Australia, the grape has been adopted as its signature red under the moniker Shiraz. But no matter what you call what’s in your glass, there’s a Syrah or Shiraz for every drinker. Seppeltsfield 2018 Shiraz (Barossa Valley); $22, 94 points. All the hallmarks of Barossa Shiraz are here without much fuss. A heady, fruity nose of cherry and currant ride a wave of baking spice, mocha, furniture polish and earthy, mineral tones. The tannins are powerful but fine and nicely textured. There’s also enough polish here for a bit of cellaring. Drink now–2025. Legend Imports. Editors' Choice. —Christina Pickard Yangarra 2018 King’s Wood Shiraz (McLaren Vale); $55, 94 points. This vintage of single-block, biodynamically grown Shiraz is more textbook than the cooler 2017. While it lacks the sexiness of ’17, it still offers more restraint and elegance than many of its South Aussie counterparts. An aromatic lift of tangy blueberry, raspberry and plum fruit interlaces gentle baking spice, ground pepper and terra-cotta notes. There’s muscle to the highly textural tannins (both chalky and granular), but it’s woven into layers of flavor. A charming yet serious wine for drinking now until 2030. Jackson Family Wines —C.P. Emmanuel Darnaud 2018 Les Troix Chênes (Crozes-Hermitage); $40, 93 points. Voluminous yet fresh, this full-bodied Syrah highlights ripe, perfumed plum and blackberry flavors shaded by graphite, cedar and crushed peppercorns. Matured in a mix of concrete and large-format oak barrels, it’s a supple, pure fruited red edged by fine, silky tannins and a spicy licorice finish. It drinks beautifully in youth but should hold through 2028. Fruit of the Vines, Inc. Editors' Choice. —Anna Lee C. Iijima Isole e Olena 2016 Collezione Privata Syrah (Toscana); $61, 93 points. Aromas of underbrush, blackberry, ground pepper, blue flowers and mocha emerge from the glass. Elegantly structured, the velvety palate offers blackberry compote, fleshy black cherry, French oak and toasted nuts alongside smooth, enveloping tannins. It closes on notes of blood orange and coffee bean. Drink through 2026. Chambers & Chambers. —Kerin O'Keefe Quady North 2017 4-2,A Syrah (Rogue Valley); $25, 93 points. A sensational value, this is a dark, aromatic and richly fruity wine, with potent flavors of roasted fruits and scorched earth. It avoids bitterness throughout a long finish, laced with anise and a hint of lemon. The power and balance are exceptional. Editors' Choice. —Paul Gregutt Scar of the Sea 2019 Rancho Sisquoc Syrah (Santa Maria Valley); $28, 93 points. Fresh aromas of black raspberry, violet and wisteria get sprinkled with white pepper and wet earth on the nose of this bottling from a historic vineyard deep in the valley. Buoyant acidity and sandy tannins frame the sip, where blueberry and lavender flavors stay fun and fresh. —Matt Kettmann Te Awanga 2017 Mister Syrah (Hawke’s Bay); $22, 93 points. The color of rose petals, this is a refreshingly lightweight, accessible Syrah that clocks in at just 11.5% alcohol. Aromas are bouncy and fresh: rhubarb and cranberry, savory herbal and floral notes and a slight roasted, charred quality. The palate is medium in weight, with a savory streak amid crunchy, silky fruit and soft but structured tannins. There’s a medicinal bite to the finish. An autumnal wine for drinking now. LeVecke. Editors' Choice. —C.P. Yannick Alléno & Michel Chapoutier 2018 Croix de Chabot (Saint-Joseph); $38, 93 points. Shards of iron and black pepper juxtapose powerfully ripe black-plum and mulberry flavors in this inky Syrah. It’s a deeply extracted expression of Saint-Joseph but anchored neatly by bristling acidity and fine, supple tannins. At peak now–2028. Sera Wine Imports. Editors' Choice. —A.I. Savage Grace 2019 Red Willow Vineyard Syrah (Yakima Valley); $42, 92 points. In this producer’s trademark style, this wine is released young, with no new oak contact. Flower, tobacco, dried herb and dark cherry aromas are followed by lighter-styled flavors that still bring intensity. Purity is the purpose. Pair it with grilled lamb chops. Editors' Choice. —Sean P. Sullivan One Leaf 2018 Shiraz (California); $10, 90 points. This robust and mouthcoating wine offers generous black fruits, hints of white and black pepper and a firm but rich texture. It flirts with a gamy, earthy character for added complexity that’s rare in a wine this affordable. Best Buy. —Jim Gordon |
| Wine Enthusiast Podcast: Exploring the Drinks Influence of First Australians Posted: 26 May 2021 03:30 AM PDT  But broad understanding of Australia's winemaking origins, especially the influence of Aboriginal culture, is sparse, and the contributions of the First Nations People of Australia are often overlooked or undervalued. To understand more about the country's drinks history and its impact on Australia's wine world today, Contributing Editor Christina Pickard speaks to drinks industry veterans Curly Haslam-Coates and Gary Green. Haslam-Coates is a wine and spirit educator located in Tasmania. She founded Vintage Tasmania to promote the drinks culture, and especially sparkling wines, of Tassie, and is the state's only provider of Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) classes. Haslam-Coates also founded The Whole Bunch Collective in late 2020 to tackle the lack of representation and diversity in the Australian and New Zealand wine industry. Green is the co-owner of Australia’s only Aboriginal-owned winery, Mount Yengo Wines, in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Launched as Gondwana Wines in 2016 and rebranded to Mount Yengo in 2019, the brand labels feature art from Indigenous Australians and, for each bottle sold, donations are made to the artist as well as to the National Indigenous Culinary Institute. Their conversations demonstrate how programs and producers are advancing modern dialogues. You can read this article for more information about Tasmania and the stunning wines coming out of the region, and also be sure to see our latest ratings and reviews. Check out this article for more about the impact of First Australians on the modern winemaking scene, or learn more about the revival of Indigenous drink way-a-linah here.
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