So Flair Competition (Thursday night), Bar So, Exeter Road, Bournemouth

THURSDAY night will see glass and alcohol flying through the air with the So Flair Competition.

Some of the world’s top flair bartenders will be on hand to flip bottles and defy gravity in the annual contest at Bournemouth’s Bar So on Exeter Road. Sponsored by Flair Bar, Absolut Blue, Desperados, Nectar and Red Bull this is always a crowd pleaser with great drink deals on the night and a local judging panel deciding who takes the coveted So Flair title and £750 first prize.

This year’s entries include reigning So Flair champ and reigning UK numero uno Dave ‘Ginge’ Reynolds plus world number five Adam Branczyk who will be battling it out to be crowned So Flair Champion 2013.

Also competing is Sikky, Vaclav Abraham (world number nine), Markus Klammer and Mikey Holes. Bar So also welcomes the seven time UK Flair Champ Tom Dyer to the judging panel.

This is set to be the biggest flair competition south of London. Before the contest there is also an informal open day from 2pm to 6pm, which for the second year will incorporate The Bournemouth Bartenders Grand Prix Competition allowing the finest bartenders (local and from around the country) to show off their cocktail making abilities.

Bar So is joined to one of Bournemouth’s most historic landmarks, The Royal Exeter Hotel and the uber-chic 1812 restaurant.

This sophisticated eaterie is tastefully furnished with dark wood and decorated in chocolate browns, deep reds and abstract art.

The menu is classic French/British cuisine with a modern twist and a good balance of starters, main courses and sweets complimented with a selection of old and new wines. If you were wondering about the name, it has nothing to do with Tchaikovsky’s overture.

The 1812 bar and restaurant is named after the date that the founder of Bournemouth, Captain Lewis Tregonwell, who took up residence there.

According to the restaurant’s literature, his was the first house in Bourne that derived from a geographical reference to the little Bourne (burna) meaning stream which was later to give Bournemouth its name.

The house was then purchased by Henry Newlyn in 1876 who extended the mansion and it became known as Newlyns Family Hotel. After numerous visits by the Royal Family it acquired its present title, The Royal Exeter Hotel.

Bar So and the 1812 restaurant and bar has won several awards over the years and it is easy to see why.