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Some bars thirsting for free-pour flair
By Kathleen Vereen Dayton
The Sun News
Pouring from large liquor bottles becomes legal at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, so bartenders with creative flair can begin to strut their stuff like Tom Cruise in the 1988 movie "Cocktail."
Minibottles with twist-off caps just didn't lend themselves to the type of showmanship that has become such a sport among bartenders worldwide that it has sparked contests.
It's known as flair bartending, and one local nightclub owner says he is ecstatic.
"It brings a bigger show to your bars," said Andrew Manios, co-owner of Club Kryptonite. "Bartenders are able to use flair, you know, throwing the bottles up in the air and doing tricks with the bottles."
Regardless of whether a bartender can mix a martini and dance a jig at the
same time, opinions vary on the tran-
sition from minibottles to free pour.
Not every business will convert to the new system, and the state will not
require any business to dispense with minibottles.
"The bar or restaurant has their choice of whatever size bottle they deem best for the business or their customers," said Tom Sponseller, president of the S.C. Hospitality Association. "They might go with minis totally, or they might go with big bottles totally, or a combination of both."
Inventory control and space accommodations for the larger bottles are issues bars must contend with if they switch from minibottles.
Manios thinks inventory will be easier with big bottles.
"It's a lot easier to count 50 bottles than it is a thousand," Manios said. "I can pick up a bottle and weigh it and tell exactly how many ounces are gone just by weight, or I can sit there and count 1,000 minibottles."
Others think inventory is simpler with minibottles.
"As far as inventory, it's not going to be as easy as it was with minibottles," said Saul Shavitz, owner of Bimini's Oyster Bar and Seafood Cafe. "Now it's going to be by weight, or a different pour system you can purchase."
Consumers also have opinions.
"I wish we hadn't done away with the minibottles," said Cindi Muthig, a Columbia resident in Myrtle Beach for the New Year holiday. "You get a bartender in a bad mood, and you won't get a good drink. An ounce and a half, you won't get it."
Muthig's friend Marjan Lucas agreed.
"With minibottles, you know what you're getting," Lucas said.
Bartender Bob LaRochelle, who served the two women Thursday at Islamorada Fish Co., said he is used to the free-pour system because he used to tend bar in Massachusetts.
"It's quicker for the bartender, and you can make all the mixed drinks," LaRochelle said.
He added that many Grand Strand visitors from the North also are unaccustomed to stronger drinks made with minibottles.
A minibottle holds 1.7 ounces of liquor versus the 1.25 ounces in a standard free-pour cocktail.
It will take weeks and maybe months for restaurants and bars to convert to free pour, so consumers shouldn't expect big changes everywhere Sunday.
"We aren't going to be able to make the transition on the first, companywide, due to just the complexity of trying to revamp the setup and structure of bar layouts," said Jack Divine of Divine Dining Group, which operates 20 Grand Strand restaurants.
Divine said the company is spending as much as $10,000 in some cases to convert bar space to accommodate the larger bottles. The company also is spending money on new inventory-control systems.
"With twentysome bars, it can get to be a big number. It can really add up," Divine said. "But it's a positive thing for the industry and the consumer."
Divine said drink prices could be reduced because bartenders will be pouring slightly less product per drink. Restaurants paid a 25 cent tax per minibottle that will go away Sunday, although the state is adding a 5 percent mixed drink sales tax to make up for that lost revenue.
Manios is so excited that South Carolina has joined the rest of the nation in free pouring that he has invited flair bartending champion Josh Nemerow to perform New Year's Eve at Club Kryptonite.
Nemerow, a Las Vegas bartender/entertainer, arrived Friday in Myrtle Beach and will hold three free-pour training sessions for Club Kryptonite's 12 bartenders.
The club has been closed so its six bars could be renovated to accommodate the larger bottles and will reopen New Year's Eve to much fanfare and Nemerow's midnight performance.
"That's going to be a big deal on New Year's Eve, to watch this guy perform, how to truly make drinks with flair," Manios said. "In the bartending world, he's a big deal. He practices four or five hours a day ... almost like an athlete."
Manios said the club has spent between $50,000 and $70,000 on new display areas for its bars, in addition to paying for Nemerow's visit, his flight and hotel.
"It's worth it, absolutely, because in the long run we'll be more efficient," Manios said. "A beautiful display behind the bar makes things a lot more attractive and can generate sales."
Shavitz and Manios think free pour will be more consumer-friendly. Drinks that require more than one liquor will be less potent because a whole minibottle of each liquor will not have to be used, and the system also will save the customer money.
"They will not have to pay for two separate liquors in a drink, because we will half-pour each liquor," Manios said. "Before, if you ordered Royal Flush, you paid for a minibottle of Crown Royal and a minibottle of peach Schnapps. I can't leave a half-empty minibottle in my bin, so I'm going to have to charge you $6.75 for Crown and $5.75 for peach Schnapps."
Shavitz said it will take a little while to get the new system under control. He expects Bimini's to fully implement the free-pour system by the end of January.
"Thank God it's coming at a slow time of year," Shavitz said. "It's definitely something I would not want to do in April or August."
Contact KATHLEEN VEREEN DAYTON at 626-0317 or kdayton@thesunnews.com.
