Table Talks: Declan Khan, Master Mixologist and Founder of Flair Tech Bar Services

Declan Khan, owner of Flair Tech Bar Services, has a passion for bartending trends: cocktail evolution, showmanship, barware and fashion for the modern bartender. He has 12 years of industry experience, starting at Spanky’s Sports Bar and moving up to Woodford Café, TGI Fridays, Aria Lounge and Buzo Osteria Italiana to name a few. He knows the ins and outs of each type of bar operation, covering demographics such as pubs, clubs, fine dining restaurants, casino and family restaurants. Propa Eats delves further in our Q&A session with Declan to find out more his career journey and some insight on the field of bartending. 

1. How did you start bartending?

I started bartending as a side job for August holidays back in 2007. I went to a bar called Spanky’s in Curepe junction — a regular bar — with a friend who invited me there to have a beer. I saw they had a notice up; they needed a bartender. I asked what you had to do, they said they would train, which wasn’t sort of in-depth training compared to what I know now but that is where I started and that is where I grew my interest from there moving forward. 

2. What do you enjoy most about bartending?

I love that in bartending you can create things, customise for approximately 20 to 40 different people per day. That is a great feeling even though as some restaurant bars, you are confined to make the cocktails that they provide, you still have to read persons and adjust to suit. It is even better to create stuff outside of that when I do my own services. I could explain different drinks to many different persons. I love that the attention is on us; the bar is a main focus that is why I love the showmanship of bartending in terms of dress code, flair bartending or making fancy drinks in eye-catching glassware. I love meeting new people and I like to socialize on the whole and this is the perfect forum for that. 

3. What’s your favourite drink to make?

In contrary to the name ‘Flair Tech Bartending’ and all the hype behind it, my favourite drink to make is actually a traditional martini. Gin, vermouth, shake it up, strain with a really ripe orange rind, spray that around there and that is perfect for me! That is also the drink I love to make. It is a very simple drink — a very traditional drink — and it shows the depth of someone’s knowledge when they come for a drink as simple as that. With three ingredients in such little amounts, that makes it perfect. It’s actually a very hard drink to make: if it’s made wrong, it deviates south, but it’s a simple drink and hard drink if it is made perfectly.

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4. Do you have a signature drink? If so, how do you make it?

I actually have many signature drinks (or at least, I believe are signature). One of my favourites in my early years of bartending was something called the ‘Deep Sea Iced Tea’. So this is generally like a Long Island Iced Tea and I don’t think anyone makes it like the one I do. This is generally a drink that looks like green into light yellow into clear on top, with some blue in there. It’s a cool colour looking drink but it is very potent so the drink is Green Creme de Menthe, blue is Curaçao, any type of citron vodka, more floral Gin so I would use either Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray, white rum doesn’t have to be any particular brand and Silver Tequila. So you are adding some fresh lemon in there, simple syrup and top it with tonic water. A very long orange rind is cut and fixed around the drink and inserted inside the drink 

5. What motivates you?

First of all, I know my company hasn’t reached where I want it to reach as yet so my drive will always be in full gear moving towards that particular goal. Moreover, I do find that in Trinidad, people in society itself don’t look at our craft as a good job. That is a big part of my motivation when I am training in a restaurant or doing training for a company or managing where I am now, I try to convey that, “Ok! You all could reach to where I am going with the correct focus, hard work and drive.” 

6. What, in your opinion, is a reliable hangover cure?

A regular hangover cure would be a very good Bloody Mary. With the Bloody Mary, if you are putting the vodka, it is not a virgin Bloody Mary. As for tomato juice, I particularly like the actual tomato juice in cans, triple distilled vodka (a lighter vodka), Worcester sauce, horse-radish and a very healthy celery stick because the main thing behind hangover cures are the water base of the drink or whatever the intake is. And enough salt and black pepper, as deemed necessary. I put a lot in a hangover cure. Other than that, you can eat a few celery sticks on its own, eat an entire cucumber or any kind of green water-based vegetables like lettuce, probably cabbage, raw tomatoes — those things really help because of its water intake. That should help you through the day until you get some rest. Rest is truly the best cure for a hangover. 

Check them out on Facebook and Instagram at Flair Tech Bar Services or follow Declan at #bartendeco.