The Grand Slams are coming thick and fast in these summer months, no sooner has the WFA Grand Slam at the Cambridge Cocktail Weekend ended we have another Grand Slam to bring you – this time from Mexico! It is of course the return of Skilled Flairbartender at the Hard Rock Cafe, Cancun. This will be the 4th edition of the Skilled Flairbartender competition and the 2nd year it has been on the WFA Grand Slam tournament. Always an excellent competition, Skilled Flairbartender attracts the best flair bartenders from across the Americas and the surrounding region – many of whom can’t make it out to many of the Europe based competitions and Grand Slams. As a result, Skilled Flairbartender is always a great opportunity to see what the Americas bring to the flair bartending table. Last year we saw some amazing routines.
Some words from the organisers:
“We are so grateful and proud for the acceptance that ‘Skilled Flairbartender’ has had. This 4th edition we are ready to beat your expectations. We are working harder to become the best American Flair Bartender tournament. We would like to thank the WFA for their support and for including us in the Grand Slam Tournament. A special thanks also to Da Vinci for being our official sponsor. And finally thanks to all of you for your participation and passion for flair. Flair is in the air!”
WFA Grand Slam Tournament
With Deniss Trifanovs the only professional flair bartender in the top 20 taking part in this Grand Slam, it will be interesting to see where he places and what that does to the Grand Slam leaderboard. Check out the latest leaderboard below:
Competitors and Prizes
Although many of the competitors will be from the surrounding countries to Mexico, some flair bartenders are flying in from around the world – such as Deniss Trifanovs, our 2nd place bartender at the Cambridge Cocktail Weekend and Edgar Suvarian from Russia. With 40 or so competitors taking part in total, it is set to be a hard fought Grand Slam. We are particularly looking forward to seeing Yonny Aguiliar who impressed last year. There is $5,500 up for grabs in the prize pot, as well as individual prizes for best semi pro, runners up, best female, best cocktail and best move. The main sponsor is Da Vinci syrups, who do a lot to support flair bartending in South America, in particular Mexico. The Da Vinci Skilled Flairbartender Grand Slam will take place between the 6th and 8th of September. Full prize breakdown below:
Prize Money – Total: $5,500USD
1º – $ 2,200 USD WFA Black Level shaker + Trophy + 40 RAB
2º – $ 1,200 USD WFA Black Level shaker + Trophy + 20 RAB
3º – $ 800 USD WFA Black Level shaker + Trophy + 15 RAB
4º – $ 400 USD WFA Purple Level shaker + Trophy + 5 RAB
5º – $ 300 USD WFA Purple Level shaker + Trophy + 3 RAB
6º – $ 100 USD WFA Purple Level shaker +Trophy + 3 RAB
Best Semi-pro – $ 300 USD + Trophy
2º Semi-pro – Medal
3º Semi-pro – Medal
Best Female Qualification – $ 100.00 USD + Medal
Best Cocktail Qualification – $ 50 USD + Medal
Best Move – $ 50 USD – (11 to 15th place) – Big Ass Move competition.