MANILA, Philippines - Tossing five bottles at a time--and sometimes even on fire--while entertaining guests and mixing drinks is the day-to-day task of a TGI Friday's flair bartender.
"As a team, you have to be physically fit and mentally fit," said TGI Friday's award-winning bartender Rev Bacasno in an interview with Philstar.com.
Serving drinks, he does not just drops lemon onto the glass. Bacasno flips it, throws it into the air and catches the slice of citrus to impress the customer before he takes the cocktail.
Unbeknown to many, the performance side of bartending termed "flair" is a community in itself. The best bartenders in the world convene in competitions hosted by TGI Friday's branches in different countries.
Bacasno himself was honored "grand champion and king of the bar" last year with fellow Filipino bartender Joel delos Santos of TGI Friday's Bonifacio High Street in Melbourne's Shake, Rattle and Pour Bartending Championship.
In this video interview, Bacasno and partner Aldrin Javar who are part of the bartending ensemble "Stars Behind Bars" talk about the demands and perks of their priced role in the popular chain of bars as they tour around the country performing for audiences young and not-so-young alike. - with Cris Cayanan
Photo by Freddd on Flickr