The Spirit World

The annual worldwide competition, Legends of Bartending starts tomorrow in Las Vegas. Sometimes called the Bartending World Championships this competition is about the show and style, called flair, that a bartender demonstrates while pouring drinks and not about how good or well-crafted the drink itself is, although part of the competition is about how accurately they pour. This style of bartending was made famous by Tom Cruise in the movie, Cocktail, although it has been around for many years.

The contest has become so popular that bartenders must be invited to compete. This year’s competition features 70 competitors from around the world. They compete over a two day period. Last year’s competition was captured and produced as a Food Network special that aired last December and January. No word yet on the plans for this year.