Made in the 956: Brownsville flair bartender to be featured in documentary
Have you heard of flair bartending?
It's when you serve alcohol with a twist of entertainment and tricks.
One local bartender is representing the Rio Grande Valley in a new documentary that follows the lives of those in the flair bartending industry, showcasing his talents in a unique way.
Lorenzo Garcia has been flair bartending for years now.
"I just got really obsessed with it and got pretty good at it, and ended up winning a bunch of competitions. I have a small part in this documentary and it's really a big honor to be featured with some of these world champions and legends," Garcia said.
He took his skills to Las Vegas in 2021 for a couple of years before he made his way back home to the Valley.
The documentary, called Shaken and Stirred: The Story of Flair Bartending, features Garcia and two other bartenders and follows them to a competition in Florida.
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"I almost couldn't believe it when I got chosen for this, some of the people in this documentary are 17, 18, 19-time world champions and are very, very well decorated as far as bartending goes," Garcia said.
Garcia has also won several awards and has competed in different flair bartending competitions.
"Coming from the Valley, it makes me really proud, because I was just a little poor boy from Donna, Texas a long time ago," Garcia said.
After years in Las Vegas, He moved to Brownsville.
At the moment, Garcia is a manager at The Laboratory Agave House, which opened last summer. Garcia and other bartenders are able to show off their flair bartending skills there.
"It has been a great project. I was a little nervous to see if Brownsville, or the Valley in general, would be receptive to the concept we were trying to do. It's a little bit more elevated, bigger city vibes," Garcia said. "Since we opened the doors, the city has been really, really receptive to the concept."
Garcia says the flair bartending scene is starting to pop up around the Rio Grande Valley, and he is excited to see its growth.
He says it's also important to help grow the next generation.
"I'm hoping that's my duty now, is to represent the Valley well enough to bring up the next generation of bartenders," Garcia said.
The documentary is set to premiere on March 25 at the Beverly Theatre in Las Vegas. To pre-order the documentary, visit flairdocumentary.com.
Lorenzo Garcia is Made in 956.
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