WHAT IS LEGENDS?

Approximately ten years ago the Legends of Bartending competition was an idea formulated by two bartenders that felt passionately about flair bartending, believing it could grow into something that could be enjoyed by bartenders and spectators from all corners of the globe. Ten years later, this idea has become the premier flair bartending event in the world.  Legends, what the competition has more commonly become known as, has grown into what is considered by many to be the largest, most prestigious bartending championship on the planet.

WHEN IS LEGENDS

Legends takes place each year in the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, Nevada. In its short existence, Legends has played host to bartenders from over 20 different countries with participants from new countries joining in each year. In its first seven years, Legends made it to national television 6 times, being the focus of a documentary for the Travel Channel called “Battle of the Bartenders, Las Vegas”, as well as shows on A&E, ABC and three different shows on the Food Network.

Due to its vast popularity, in 2001, Legends became the first invitation only world competition. Now only the best flair bartenders are able to showcase their talents on the Legends stage.

ABOUT THE ACTUAL COMPETITION

Legends is a two day event broken into a qualifying and a finals day. On Qualifying day bartenders go through three grueling rounds of qualifying to narrow the field from 75 to 9. These rounds are made up of a speed round, where the bartenders make drinks and fast and accurate as possible and are scored accordingly, an accuracy round, where the bartenders make liquor pours and are tested to the one-thousandth of and ounce for accuracy, then the final qualifying round the exhibition/working flair round. In this round, bartenders make drinks using flair. Flair is anything that is done behind the bar with style, show or entertainment above and beyond that which you would see at any bar. Things that are emphasized the most would be bottle flipping. The round is broken down into to types of flair. The first type is working flair. Working flair is the type of flair that you would do behind the bar without impeding service, with any bar object you pick up, including bottles that are at all different levels. The other type of flair is exhibition flair. Here bartenders perform specific routines to music and have a set amount (very little) of liquor in their bottles. This is where the competion gets wild. Today you will see bartenders performing tricks with two, three, four, five, and yes, even six bottles.

It is amazing how far the sport of flair bartending has come since it emergence to the American public on the big screen in that movie (Cocktail, but don't say it too loud) way back in 1988.

After every competitor has gone through all their qualifying rounds, then the finalists are announced. These ten people start over with a clean slate on finals day and do it all over. The only real big difference on finals day is that the Exhibition and the working flair are separate rounds. The speed, accuracy, and working flair are done behind closed doors in the daytime, then the exhibition round is the big show in front of the crowd on finals night.