Watch: How to master flair cocktail making

From the Margarita to an Espresso Martini the art of cocktail making is much more than just serving drinks.

Flair cocktail making is the practice of showmanship from bartenders that involves throwing, catching and mixing a wide range of drinks.

There is even a World Flair Competition that is held annually to crown the World flair champion.

In London, the Graffiti cocktail bars in Balham and Earlsfield bring flair to their customers.

Owner, Jimmy Greenhalgh, showed the Standard the three essential beginner moves to flair cocktail making:

“The Stall brings the routine to a standstill as balance the bottle on any flat part of your body, most commonly your hand.

“What’s key, is not simply to stick your hand and allow the bottle to fall on top of it because this will really heart. What you need to do is meet the bottle on the way up and follow it down again so you cushion the fall and get a nice, steady catch.”

“It’s impressive because you are not looking at the bottle when you catch it but it also helps you tie all your other moves together.

“Once you get into a nice routine of throwing the bottle over your shoulder, it’s going to come down as if it will land on your shoulder and you simply step forward and your hand will do the rest.”

“All we are doing is interrupting the pour we were going to do and splitting it into two. We will pour into the tin, stop, rotate the tin and pour again.”