For those of you who haven't seen the movie Cocktail (Tom Cruise, 1988), "flair" bartending is the art of theatrical cocktail-making widely recognised to have been pioneered by Jeremiah (Jerry) P. Thomas (1830–1885), a flamboyant American bartender who popularized cocktails across the United States and is considered "the father of American mixology." It was Thomas' creativity and showmanship as much as his seminal writings on cocktails that established the image of the bartender as a creative professional and earned him the nickname "Professor."
His signature drink was known as the "Blue Blazer," which he developed at the El Dorado saloon in San Francisco. The drink involves lighting whiskey on fire and passing it back and forth between two silver mixing glasses placed a yard apart, creating an arc of long blue flame, and Thomas made the drink only if the outside temperature was 50°F or below or if the person ordering the drink had a cold or the flu, since it was intended for medicinal purposes.
Here's the recipe:
2-1/2 ounces of rye or bourbon whiskey or Brandy 2-1/2 ounces of boiling water 1 tsp powdered sugar lemon peel
Use two large silver-plated mugs, with handles. Put the whiskey in one mug and the boiling water into the other, ignite the whiskey and, while blazing, mix both ingredients by pouring them from one mug to the other. If well done, this will have the appearance of a continued stream of liquid fire. Sweeten with sugar and serve with a piece of lemon peel. Serve in a four-ounce stemmed mug.
But we digress. Since the movie, flair bartending has become more and more popular around the world and Las Vegas, which hosts one of the more prestigious annual contests, has several venues renowned for the expertise of their flair bartenders. All can be found in our "Shows & Nightlife" section, but they include:
