Bartending facts

 
The respectability of bartending in on the rise. More people are beginning to see this as a profession and not just a part time or “in between jobs” job.

According to the 2006 bureau of labor statistics report, Montana is the only state that has over 1% or their work force employed as bartenders. Nevada comes in second with .958%. Wisconsin while in third place at .844% employed the highest number of bartenders.

In Texas, one way to legally get into a bar while you’re under the age of 21 is by being the bartender. You only have to be 18 to sell alcohol, but 21 to drink it.

The man generally credited with being the world’s first flair bartender was Jerry Thomas. Usually called “The Professor”, he was showing off his bartending talents in the 1800s. He created a drink named the Blue Blazer. He would pour boiling water into scotch, set it on fire and pour the mixture from glass to glass. He must have made good money since he was reported to have a set of silver bar tools.

The first bartending competition was held by T.G.I. Friday's in Marina Del Rey, California in 1985. They later held the first world championship competition for flair bartending in 1987.

Exhibition flair competitions usually use bottles that contain less than 2 ounces (60ml) of liquid. Usually not alcohol. As the liquor bottles are spun and tossed around, it’s centrifugal force that keeps the liquid from pouring out. Using more liquid in the competition bottles would result in too much spillage.

The Flair Bartenders’ Network was created in 1997. It quickly evolved into a membership association and became the Flair Bartenders’ Association, Inc. in 1998. It’s now in over 100 countries and has over 11,000 members.

Co-founder and first president of FBA, Toby Ellis invented the term “flair bar” in 1997.

Even though women regularly place in the top 10 in major competitions, there has never been a women world champion.

While many of the top placing bartenders are from countries other than the United States, the majority of competitions are held here.

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