When the Colorado-based Brad Kaplan and Georgia-based Mike Guthrie passed through town, last week, to conduct a week-long series of flair seminars with the ivory-coated bar staff of the Waterloo Road landmark, Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, the flair mixology twosome left behind a vocabulary of muscle memory of the sleight of hand variety in their wake. Flair mentees were treated to tricks, techniques and coachings relevant to the world of flipping, tossing, balancing and spinning within reach under-bar and top-shelf paraphernalia while still managing to mix a perfect cocktail. The award-winning Kaplan — with the able assistance of friend and extremebartending.com colleague Guthrie, who doubled as the evening’s compère, of sorts — paused mid-week to dazzle the eyes and refresh the palates of a select media-comprised guest list with impressive acrobatics and tasty cocktails. Hosted by Cîroc Vodka via our friends at Diageo from the glitzy interior of the hotel’s trendy watering hole, the Regency Bar and Lounge, Thursday Life ventures barside to bring you the visual treat that was this ‘happy hour’.

— Curt Cawley

(PHOTOS: GARFIELD ROBINSON & RORY DALEY)

Thursday Life (TL): How did you guys get into bartending?

Brad Kaplan (BK): It was something that I had always wanted to do. And when I went back to school to become a teacher — I sat classes during the day — and needed a night job bartending was it.

Mike Guthrie (MG): I grew up working in a pool hall, became a bartender and eventually opened two bars and a restaurant.

TL: What makes a great bartender?

BK: A great bartender is a lot of things to a lot of people. You have to have the guest service, attentiveness, and knowledge. You have to continue learning and adding in a bit of flair for that entertainment value — in my opinion, is a must!

MG: You’ve got to have a good personality, be able to communicate very well with different types of customers, and have an extensive drink knowledge.

TL: Who or what inspired you go into flair mixology?

BK: When I started out, I was working with a bartender named Mark, and one day we said, “Let’s throw some things”. Then I said, “Wait, let’s actually figure out how to do it without hurting anyone”. Obviously, there’s the movie Cocktail which was everyone’s first big introduction to flair. In terms of an individual, there’s Scott Young — the owner of extremebartending.com — who personally trained me. I’ve also met so many flair bartenders, over the years, who I view as idols and pinnacles of this genre.

MG: As far as my training, it would have to be Scott Young that we work with and Brad. In Georgia we don’t have a lot of flair bartenders. There are, maybe, only three that I know of. But I did live in Las Vegas for several years and met some of the best in the world who I became friends and I always idolise them. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to train with them because of my living in Georgia. So when I ran into Brad and Scott and got the opportunity to train with them and when I learned enough moves, I got brought on board with them. Every chance I get I hang out with them and try to pick up new tricks of the trade.

TL: How long did it take you to perfect your skills?

BK: I’m still working at them. I don’t know that there’s attainable perfection because as soon as you feel like you’ve reached a plateau, it turns out it’s just another glass ceiling to break through in order to advance to another level. With regard to this particular industry, product information and guest interaction is constantly changing.

MG: As soon as you learn to juggle four bottles, there are three people ahead of you who can juggle five, and there’s one ahead of them that can do six. With all the new alcohol varieties, new ways of making drinks, and talented mixologists who can manipulate a diverse mix of items — it’s never-ending.

TL: How often do you practise?

BK: I tend to practise a little less now than when I first started, but I usually give it a good couple hours a week. When I just started I was practising one to two hours a day, pretty religiously. There are a lot of mixologists that compete, who in order to get to an elite level and win world-class competitions, practise anywhere from five to eight hours a day. It’s wake-up. Flair. Go to work. Go to sleep. Wake-up. Flair.

MG: Six hours to eight hours a week. And that also includes work behind the bar. You try the things you don’t know at home, and only attempt the things you do know at work.

TL: Have you ever entered any competitions and how did you place?

BK: I’ve competed in over 30 competitions. My most notable ones were with TGIFridays. I was a three-time Colorado/Texas divisional champion and that got me placed as a finalist in the World Bartender Championships for TGIFridays, three years in a row.

MG: I’ve never really competed — have no interest in it. I’ve always just done this as a fun hobby. I own several bars where I encourage and try to influence all my bartenders to do flair. I even take them to competitions — I’ve been to over 50!

TL: What do all the best flair bartenders have in common?

BK: Drive and determination. They want to be the best at what they do in learning this skill and achieving elite status. And you don’t get that without having championship qualities.

MG: They understand the only way they’re going to learn anything is to hang out with the better ones and as they improve, they just keep on going. You play college football, you want to play pro football.

BK: You play pro football, you want to win the Superbowl.

TL: What would your advice be for aspirants of the flair genre?

BK: Learn from as many areas as you can. Don’t stop learning, and adapt and develop your own style.

MG: Take your time; don’t get frustrated. Stick with it, watch videos, get some training, partner with a friend (it’s way more fun), turn some music up loud, throw things up in the air and have fun.

TL: In general, what sets you apart from other mixologists?

BK: It’s hard to say. I can be entirely unique in what I do because I’ve met a lot of phenomenal bartenders, and even the ones that don’t do flair, I learn a lot from. But if there is one thing I have that a lot do, is the drive to continue to learn and be better.

MG: I’ve travelled and have been on several adventures which means I have lots of stories to tell that entertain. I’m entertaining.

TL: In an alternate universe: magician or acrobat?

BK: Oh, acrobat, without a doubt.

MG: Magician. I’m already an acrobat (laughs).