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Page 6 of 7
Rob Turek, aka Robbie Flair
Let's be honest: flair bartending ranks right up there with Dungeons & Dragons in terms of cool quotient. Most of us prefer to drink our hooch rather than see it juggled before our mouths like so many kittens. But "Robbie Flair," President of the Cleveland Chapter of the US Bartenders Guild, is here to set the record straight.
Q. So, did you learn on the job?
A. Actually, I got my start with the Professional Bartending School of Cleveland 17 years ago. Many industry peers frown upon bartending schools because their graduates lack true experience. But if utilized properly, they can help jumpstart professional careers.
Q. Shots over Shakespeare? Not bad.
A. The school was built like a lab with a fully working bar. Students would make fake drinks, but learn the techniques for basic bartending in a practical fashion. Becoming great at bartending simply requires a mind open to learning. As soon as education declines, so does your skill level.
Q. When did you start flipping bottles?
A. Soon after graduating I had the opportunity to become an instructor and was sent to Cincinnati to train with the president. He was really good at flair and showed me a few moves. This was the end of 1996. In 1998, I competed in my first World Flair Competition in Orlando, and for the next 5 years competition was my biggest teacher.
Q. Ever drop bottles?
A. Did Michael Jordan ever miss a shot? Of course. However, practice always makes perfect, and to be honest, how you react to a drop can make or break a performance. However, at this point of my career, my standard is to be "drop free."
Q. Best night behind the bar?
A. Depends. I've done New Years parties and walked with $500-$700. However, today, I can be booked as an entertainer and walk with way more than that. I was once booked as a flair bartender for a casino opening and walked away with $2,500. My guarantee is that I will be the talk of your event.
Q. Cocktail the movie: love it or loathe it?
A. Most people relate flair immediately to that movie, because it's all they've ever seen. There's actually a movie out now, called Hey Bartender that shows the craft mixologist of today and the cocktail resurgence. I enjoyed Cocktail when I first saw it, but the flair is very basic. I can do 10 times what was done in that movie.
Let's be honest: flair bartending ranks right up there with Dungeons & Dragons in terms of cool quotient. Most of us prefer to drink our hooch rather than see it juggled before our mouths like so many kittens. But "Robbie Flair," President of the Cleveland Chapter of the US Bartenders Guild, is here to set the record straight.
Q. So, did you learn on the job?
A. Actually, I got my start with the Professional Bartending School of Cleveland 17 years ago. Many industry peers frown upon bartending schools because their graduates lack true experience. But if utilized properly, they can help jumpstart professional careers.
Q. Shots over Shakespeare? Not bad.
A. The school was built like a lab with a fully working bar. Students would make fake drinks, but learn the techniques for basic bartending in a practical fashion. Becoming great at bartending simply requires a mind open to learning. As soon as education declines, so does your skill level.
Q. When did you start flipping bottles?
A. Soon after graduating I had the opportunity to become an instructor and was sent to Cincinnati to train with the president. He was really good at flair and showed me a few moves. This was the end of 1996. In 1998, I competed in my first World Flair Competition in Orlando, and for the next 5 years competition was my biggest teacher.
Q. Ever drop bottles?
A. Did Michael Jordan ever miss a shot? Of course. However, practice always makes perfect, and to be honest, how you react to a drop can make or break a performance. However, at this point of my career, my standard is to be "drop free."
Q. Best night behind the bar?
A. Depends. I've done New Years parties and walked with $500-$700. However, today, I can be booked as an entertainer and walk with way more than that. I was once booked as a flair bartender for a casino opening and walked away with $2,500. My guarantee is that I will be the talk of your event.
Q. Cocktail the movie: love it or loathe it?
A. Most people relate flair immediately to that movie, because it's all they've ever seen. There's actually a movie out now, called Hey Bartender that shows the craft mixologist of today and the cocktail resurgence. I enjoyed Cocktail when I first saw it, but the flair is very basic. I can do 10 times what was done in that movie.
