Flare Bartending Lesson #63: Basic Snatch Into Tin Around Head

I know I get geeked out by a bunch of different moves, but this one is just rocking good fun. It’s fast paced, easy to learn, and decently flashy. It also finishes in a great position, leaving you open to tons of other sequences. Let’s get down to it:

1) The Basic Snatch pretty much requires a 750 ml bottle. I’ve seen people try it with a 1 Liter but there really is no room for error with those (plus, it just kind of looks weird.)

2) This is technically Working Flair so you should be able to do this with nearly any amount of liquid in the bottle. However, I also include it in the Exhibition Flair category because of the use of the 750 ml bottle.

3) You may hear this move – where the bottle lands bottom-first into the tin – called either a nest, nesting, or a snatch. Oftentimes, Continue Reading » Flare Bartending Lesson #63: Basic Snatch Into Tin Around Head

Flair Lesson #10: Tin Double Same Hand Grab Around Head

I LOVE THIS MOVE!! This can be a tricky one when you’re getting started, but once you get it down you’ll know what I’m talking about. Part of what I love about this working flair move is that it only involves a tin – no need to worry about spilling or breaking a bottle! Tips to getting this move down:

1) Start with a proper grip on the tin: thumb and middle finger on opposite sides on the mouth of the tin.

2) Practice the throw first. Use your other hand to practice the catch while you get comfortable and consistent with throwing a double spin, focusing on being able to catch it right next to your ear.

3) The throw shouldn’t involve your whole arm, but rather focus on two things: 1) bending your elbow at the same time as you 2) flick your wrist to spin the tin. Continue Reading » Flair Lesson #10: Tin Double Same Hand Grab Around Head

Flair Lesson #9: Arm Roll Down into Pour

I promise this is the last of the Change Grip Around the Head variations before we move on to some other flair moves.

Keys to getting this move down:

1) Use your thumb and middle finger to grab the opposite sides at the very top of the tin. You should be able to swing or “hinge” back and forth comfortably.

2) Learn to “hinge” the tin with one hand while you grip change the bottle around your head with the other hand simultaneously. Continue Reading » Flair Lesson #9: Arm Roll Down into Pour

Flair Lesson #8: Change Grip Arm Roll Down with Tin

Hey, whaddya know: another add-on to the Change Grip Around the Head? Crazy, I know. This move isn’t really more difficult than the previous sequence of moves, but I wanted to make a separate video for this move for two reasons:

1) It is our first flair move involving two objects!

2) This lesson is meant to illustrate the fact that even if the drink you are making doesn’t need to be shaken in a mixing tin, you can still use one while you are flairing. A ton of the flair bartending moves we’re going to be learning use 1 bottle and 1 mixing tin. I’d like to think I’m a pretty smart guy, but it wasn’t until I sat at my first flair bar – two years after starting to learn flair moves – that I watched the bartenders flip a bottle and tin, pour the liquor into the tin, and then pour the tin into the glass they served me. This was actually revelatory for me. I thought you only grabbed a tin if you needed to shake a martini. Maybe you’re smarter than me, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to point it out. (See the video 2:21 and 2:35 for what I’m talking about.)

 

Flair Lesson #6: Change Grip into Flat Behind Back

When we’re just getting started as a flair bartender, I like to treat moves like building blocks: we start with small moves that we can combine together into making slightly cooler moves or even “mini-routines.” This Around the Head Grip Change is a great starting building block.

For this particular move, the Change Grip into Flat Behind the Back, make sure you’re comfortable with Lesson #5: Change Grip with Fencer’s Flourish. We’re just adding a new ending to that move, which is the catch behind the back. My tips for how to get comfortable with the behind the back catch: Continue Reading » Flair Lesson #6: Change Grip into Flat Behind Back