Shaken and Stirred turns an unexpected subject into an entertaining look at the skill, passion, and competition behind flair bartending.
by Nav Qateel
I have reviewed a number of movies and documentaries where I had no idea that the subject I was about to write about was even a thing. Shaken and Stirred: The Story of Flair Bartending covers such a topic, and while, thanks to seeing Cocktail back in 1988, starring Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown (whatever happened to him?), I had been introduced to bartenders juggling shakers and bottles, I had no idea it had gotten professionally competitive to this extent. Prize money of fifty grand or more to the best flair bartenders in the world makes this serious business and offers prestige to the winners and even the runners-up.
Speaking of Cocktail, near the opening of the documentary, after meeting the main competitors, we get to see the man who taught Cruise and Brown to flair, John JB Brandy. I actually loved Cocktail when it came out, so finally seeing the guy responsible for the two actors being able to convincingly perform was a treat. Brandy showed signed photos and messages from Cruise and Brown, as well as telling stories of filming in Jamaica. Because there was no internet back then, it wasn’t easy to get information like today.
Apparently, back in 1862, a gentleman by the name of Jerry Thomas was the first bartender to flair, a piece of trivia that I found fascinating, giving the documentary more substance for folk like me who wouldn’t normally gravitate to a film of this nature. I actually came away from Shaken and Stirred with lots of interesting facts about the sport.
The film follows mainly three competitors as they prepare for the Bartender Shakedown. Colby Ashton is a man considered one of the best in the world, and after watching him prep for the competition, it isn’t hard to see why. Colby actually mentioned something that I had been thinking about while watching Shaken and Stirred, which was if they had time to simply concentrate on pouring a drink or if it was purely about flairing. It turns out that it’s both…mostly.
Lorenzo Garcia and Lindsey Palumbo make up the remainder of the trio, and hearing how passionate they are and watching how hard they practice really made me admire their work ethic. We hear about broken teeth and countless smashed bottles as they attempt to win, or even for the joy of competing. We see clips of speed rounds where a set amount of cocktails must be made as quickly as possible. This has to be seen to be believed.
While Shaken and Stirred is a bit niche, it entertained me and made me more curious about the craft. Director Deborah Richards has done a fantastic job bringing this documentary to life, making us root for the competitors and showing just how exciting flair bartending can be. Even if you think this might not be your thing, I’m certain you’ll come away with a new respect for competitive bartending.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
