Yes there are bartender competitions!... and they are usually very exciting to watch! Back home they have an annual bartender competition and bartenders from all over come to compete. If you ask anyone who is familiar with the sport, they will tell you that the bartender with the best "flair" wins. "Technically speaking, flair is the act of flipping, spinning, throwing, balancing, catching bottles, drinks, and various bar tools while in the process of making cocktails." A typical competition has different categories of flair that may include: speed bartending working flair exhibition flair Back home in the competitions in my area, the competitors competed in themed rounds. A panel of judges then gave out scores and the bartender with the highest score at the end of the night wins. Also, if the bartender got the crowd excited and got them to make alot of noise, they could score a few extra points that way too! If you want to know a bit more check out: http://www.flairconsultancy.co.uk/index.php/my_flair/article/what_is_flair/ What is Flair? Flair is a style of bartending that has existed for at least 150 years. Fabled American bartending legend Jerry "the professor" Thomas performed flair in the mid 1800s, whenever he made his famous Blue Blazer at the ‘El Dorado’ in San Francsico, pouring flaming scotch and water from mug to mug in a long, fiery stream. He would only serve this drink if the outside temperature was -10 degrees or if the person who ordered the drink had a cold. US President Ulysses S. Grant was so impressed with the performance that he offered Thomas a cigar. Any bartender who has ever put two or more bottles in one hand uses flair. Flair is simply efficiency of movement with a little pizzazz.