The Pinnacle of Bartending 2005
Vancouver, BC
Congratulations Adriano Marcellino!!
Pinnacle of Bartending 5 Champion!!
Another Pinnacle of Bartending comes to a close, another year to be remembered…
On Sunday July 3rd 2005, all competitors arrive into town for another legendary Meet & Beat party. SIP Lounge on Granville Street is where all the festivities began. With dinner and drinks flowing, questions and answers over, we put Bottleslinger the Movie on the big screen to get everyone in the mood for another evening of chaos.
From SIP we tortured Granville Street, riding the mechanical bull at Buffalo Club, and then we hit Tonic for some advanced Jell-O wrestling, and then Roxy for last call shots. It was a great time with a lot of great people…
Qualifying day started on Monday, July 4th bright and early at 1pm. The Cherry Bay Beach Club enjoyed many amazing shows. The competitors had 4 minutes to make 3 drinks including a Sour Puss Ultimate Apple Martini, and open a Kokanee Beer. When the day was done, the scores were close, and we took 7 competitors to the big show on finals night.
Tuesday, July 5th was finally here, the doors opened at 8pm and the people started piling into the Cherry Bay Beach Club. The big show began with MC Cactus on the mic in typical fashion, energizing the room with his quick wit and hysterical comments. There were some incredible flair bartending performances, and everyone in the room was on the edge of their seat the whole time. Shows from Dave Simpson and Tyler Tronnes from Kelowna, Tony Cogburn from Las Vegas, Ivan Cheu from Banff, Steve McLavish and Graham Warner from Calgary, and Adriano Marcellino from Buenos Aries, Argentina.
After the comp ended, the lights again were dimmed and the Bottleslinger 2 DVD Release party began. The Cherry Bay Beach Club was electric. And after the video ended, all hell broke loose. Wet T comps, Long Mouth Crown Pours, Naked Midgets, Wrestling chaos, and plenty of good times…stay tuned to www.bottleslinger.com for the Pinnacle of Bartending DVD. It was all documented…
When the smoke cleared, this is how it all ended up…
1st Place – Adriano Marcellino - Buenos Aries, Argentina
2nd Place – Graham Warner - Calgary, Canada
3rd Place – Ivan Chew – Banff, Canada
4th Place – Dave Simpson – Kelowna, Canada
5th Place – Steve McLavish – Calgary, Canada
6th Place – Tony Cogburn – Las Vegas, USA
7th Place – Tyler Tronnes – Kelowna, Canada
The Flairco and FBA Big Ass Move – Adriano Marcellino – Buenos Aries, Argentina
Bottleslinger Award – Tony Cogburn – Las Vegas, USA
For a couple of Flair Bartending Legends, this was their last competition, and I would like to thank them for not only choosing to go out in style by choosing the Pinnacle to be their last competition, but also for being a huge part of Flair Bartending over the years.
Tony Cogburn has supported the Pinnacle of Bartending and what we do at Bottleslinger.com for years now. He is also the only competitor to win the Bottleslinger Award twice! He brings a lot of energy to the bar, is a great friend and will be missed tremendously. Tony, you are always welcome at the Pinnacle, and hope to see you up here next year on my judging panel.
Graham Warner has also decided to hang up the bottles from competition. We were honored to have him for his first ever Pinnacle and last ever comp. Over the last couple of years, Graham’s passion for Flair Bartending has allowed him to push the envelope, becoming a true Flair presence worldwide, and developing a style and grace behind the bar like few others in the Flair world. Graham will also always be welcome on the Pinnacle judging panel anytime he wants.
A huge thanks goes out to Mike McLean from Flairco.com. After a few beers we realized that Mike has flown in from Ontario each year for the last 4 Pinnacles! We appreciate everything he has done, not only for the Pinnacle, but what he and Dean and the Flairco crew have been doing for Flair Bartending for so long.
Thanks to our judges, Mike McLean, Ryan Newman, and Grant Riel. Always there for me…
Thanks to our camera crew Nick Rossi, The Bruce, and RJ.
Thanks to the Cherry Bay Beach Club and SIP Lounge for everything.
And a big thanks to this years sponsors, Sour Puss, and Kokanee.
From myself and Nick Rossi, thank you all for coming.
We are out!
Chuck McIntosh
Pure Style Productions.
Pinnacle of Bartending 2005
PSP Clothing