Tobin Ellis, bar consultant and award-winning bartender, led a 60 minute seminar on "Inside Out Bar Design" at this years Nightclub and Bar Show in Las Vegas. Ellis shared his thoughts on a different approach to hospitality design that his company has been an advocate of for more than a decade that takes a "function before form" approach to restaurant and bar design. His company, BarMagic of Las Vegas, designs bars, hotel bars, restaurants, and other hospitality concepts all over the world. Ellis explained to the more than 50 attendees, mostly bar owners and operators from as far off as New Zealand and Australia, some of the key mistakes operators make with architects, general contractors, and interior designers as well as winning strategies for bar design and operational design. BarMagic is currently developing and supervising the construction of three unique beverage concepts in the United States, directly on the heels of opening five more full-service restaurants with fresh beverage programs for a national client in 2012. For more information on BMLV's bar design services, visit our Concept Development page.

BMLV's Tobin Ellis and Kate Gerwin joined with L.A. Mixologist Julian Cox in a seminar during Hawaii Cocktail Week on Bar Design and Operations for the Craft Cocktail Revolution. The trio of experts shared inside tips, strategies and systems they use to manage bars in New Mexico, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and beyond. Ellis has been traveling the world speaking on bar design and beverage operations since the late 1990s and continues to be a tastemaker and trendsetter in bar design and high-volume craft cocktail operations. Gerwin, a certified sommelier turned mixologist and bar owner who worked under Helen Turley, joined BarMagic in 2012 and brought her operational experience to the discussion. Together, the duo successfully opened five high-volume restaurants with all-fresh, craft-cocktail beverage programs in three states in just four months span.

BarMagic of Las Vegas will be conducting another in its series of hands-on workshops on Technical Freepouring at Hawaii Cocktail Week this Wednesday, February 20th. BMLV's Tobin Ellis and Kate Gerwin will teach a group of 30 bartenders the age-old but misunderstood art and skill of accurate, fast technical freepouring that has all but shattered the "jigger myth" in the past two years. BMLV are the foremost experts in the world in this technique, having championed it for the past twenty years at a very high level all over the world. Ellis won multiple freepouring competitions at the regional, national and world levels between 1996 and 2005 and is one of the few world mixology champions to have previously worked behind some of the busiest restaurant and nightclub bars in the world including Tavern on the Green on Central Park, Sequoia in Georgetown, and PURE Nightclub in Las Vegas.

BarMagic principal Tobin Ellis and trainer Kate Gerwin will be guest bartending alongside BMLV almun Christian Self during Hawaii Cocktail Week at Thirtynine Hotel this Wednesday evening, making craft cocktails with Kai Spirits that will include a Kai Lychee and Orange Olio Saccrum punch, and a Pandan Coconut Thai Basil Gimlet. Ellis and Self revamped the entire beverage program and nine bars of the famous five-diamond, 233 year old Greenbrier Resort in 2007 and reunited to open the Marriott/Ian Schrager EDITION Hotel in Waikiki in 2010 that featured an all fresh classic and contemporary cocktail program boasting drinks like a deconstructed Pyrat XO Mai Tai and fresh Watermelon-Aperol-Jalapeño Margarita. BMLV was part of a 2011 Hotelchatter.com award for "Best Hotel Opening" for their work at EDITION and went on to open the Istanbul EDITION shortyl thereafter. Self manages the chinatown cocktail and DJ-centric hotspot "Thirtynine Hotel" for which he has pulled down numerous awards including "Best Bartender," "Best Late Night Bar," and "Best Ambiance." Ellis and Self are rumored to be working together again soon on another project in Hawaii, the details of which have not yet been disclosed.

Bar Design expert Tobin Ellis will be speaking and demonstrating the fundamentals of intelligent bar design for three days during the NAFEM show in Orlando, Florida. NAFEM is the largest restaurant equipment show in America held once every two years and features representatives from both restaurant supply companies and major hotel, chain, and casino operators. Ellis has been speaking on bar design for five years and his company has been building, rebuilding and opening successful award-winning bars all over the world since 1997.

It has been a busy summer and fall for the BMLV team as they have traveled the country helping develop, design, program, train, and open eight different bars between July and October, all with fresh cocktail programs. Led by veteran bar consultant Tobin Ellis, the team of seven bar trainers and design specialists opened five full-service restaurants with fresh craft cocktail and craft beer programs in Kentucky, Georgia, and Texas while developing, designing and supervising the construction of three more concepts in Bismarck, North Dakota. BarMagic specializes in high-volume bar design and concept development as well as ongoing management for select clients around the country. BarMagic has been involved in hospitality development and management projects such as these since 1998 all over the world.

BarMagic and Jimmy's of Aspen open the world's smallest speakeasy today during the annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic at Jimmy's Restaurant. The 9x12 space will be the world's smallest bar serving classic cocktails including stirred negronis, French 75s, and other cocktails, all in micro-sized portions. The concept was a collaboration between famed Aspen restaurateur and former barman Jimmy Yeager and BMLV principal Tobin Ellis that was several years in the making. For three nights, a very special list of VIP guests and friends will be given 20 minutes inside the smallest cocktail bar on the planet.

The 2012 Domain de Canton Bartender of the Year West Coast Regional Qualifiers were held today and BMLV's Tobin Ellis rounded out an expert panel of judges that includes Drew Levinson (Wirtz Beverage) and Andrew Pollard (Vesper Bar, Cosmopolitan). Winners of the regional competitions will be flown to St. Maartin to compete in the World Finals and a grand prize of $10,000. Ellis will be emcee'ing the world finals and has been a judge in previous years' competitions.

Legendary barman Gary "Gazz" Regan gave out his annual "Gazzer" awards tonight and BarMagic of Las Vegas' Tobin Ellis was one of this years recipients. Ellis received the award for what Regan described as a long-time dedication to pushing service and showmanship forward while showcasing quality cocktail bartending through his training, guest bartending, and media appearances. Ellis, a long time vocal advocate for the term "bartender" rather than "mixologist" has been teaching and managing bartender training programs that put equal emphasis on multiple disciplines of the craft, not just the recent mixology craze. Ellis believes all bartenders should be trained and experienced in speed, service, mixology, technical freepouring, showmanship, and guest interaction and advocates for his company's style of training that melds them into one style of bartending, rather than focusing on just one approach.

BMLV Principal Tobin Ellis will be presenting a 90-minute workshop at the Andaz Hotel in New York during the 2012 Manhattan Cocktail Classic entitled "Left of Center Beverage Programs." Ellis will share his experience creating award-winning, revenue-generating fresh/craft beverage programs over the last 20 years that includes many slightly off-center, non-traditional strategies and approaches. Ellis has created, revamped and managed successful beverage programs all over the world including at bars inside Caesars Palace, The Mirage, The Greenbrier, EDITION Hotels, and many more.

Tobin Ellis will be both judging and emcee'ing tonight's Miami US qualifier for the 2013 DiSaronno Mixing Star competition. Similar qualifiers are taking place throughout the world to crown the world's most talented bartender both in their ability to craft amazing fresh cocktails and for their presence and personality behind the bar and in front of a crowd. Ellis is no stranger to the concept having won the Mixology Title of the 2005 "Blue Blazer" World Finals that tests bartenders mixology skill and showmanship. Ellis has won numerous titles for both mixology and showmanship over his career as well as having appeared on shows like Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Bar Rescue, Food Network Challenge, and many more. Ellis is the head judge for the US National Competition for "Mixing Star" as well as the event's emcee and will be touring the country for similar qualifiers in Portland, New York, and Los Angeles. The competition culminates in Las Vegas in June where Ellis will be serving as the evening's master of ceremonies at the Palazzo Resort and Casino.

BarMagic's long-running pop-up speakeasy will be popping up in Miami during Rum Renaissance at the pop-up bar "Broken Shaker" run by cocktail impresarios Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta. Ellis and his team will be bringing their signature casual yet energized style of speakeasy culture to one of the newest, most buzzed-about cocktail bars in Miami this Sunday, April 22nd. Social Mixology is the world's first and longest-running pop-up bar, having made appearances in New Orleans, Manhattan, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hawaii, Miami, and Los Angeles. For more on social mixology visit www.socialmixologyvegas.com.

For the second consecutive year, Tobin Ellis will be serving as an ambassador for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers' Association Convention as well as judging their Iron Mixologist competition, which Ellis won in 2010. Ellis is a 6-time national mixology champion with 22 years experience in bar and beverage operations throughout the world. Ellis's company BarMagic of Las Vegas works with most major spirits suppliers including Pernod-Ricard, Remy-Cointreau, Bacardi USA, The Patron Spirits Company, William Grant & Sons, Dieago, Beam Global, Proximo Spirits, Skyy-Campari, and more.

Industry veteran and celebrated bar consultant Tobin Ellis will be revealing many of his non-traditional strategies to beverage development, bar design, and overall operations at this years' Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas. The one-hour breakout session titled "The Greenbrier Rules" will break down a number of unconventional, counter-intuitive strategies and systems Ellis has created and refined over his career to help operators increase the quality, volume, and profitability of their beverage offerings. Ellis has been traveling the world speaking on the bar industry for more than 15 years and has been featured on ABC, NBC, A&E, Spike, Food Network, Travel Channel, E!, USA, and more for his work in the hospitality industry.

BMLV principal Tobin Ellis joins a panel of industry experts from around the country to speak on the latest trends and developments in high-volume fresh beverage operations at the 2012 Arizona Cocktail Week. Ellis has been managing fresh programs since 1998 all over the united states and speaks frequently about the specific inner workings of creating, rolling out, and managing profitable beverage programs that have a fresh, culinary focus. Ellis has also spoken on beverage operations and trends recently at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Week, Nightclub & Bar Expo, and many more.

22-year bartending veteran and 6-time Nat'l Mixology title holder Tobin Ellis, has been traveling America once again sharing the secrets of the 30 year old skill of Technical Freepouring. Ellis has conducted his 3 hour workshops that teach bartenders the indisputable most accurate and fastest way to accurately pour cocktails in cities that include Chicago, Portland, Las Vegas, and Aspen with plans to take the class to New York, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and beyond. Despite the current fad of relying on jiggers, Ellis is leading the charge to show this younger generation of bartenders/mixologists who have mistakinly been taught the jigger is the end-all-be-all of portion control that jiggers are actually slower, more inaccurate, and less professional than learning the age-old art and science behind the skill of Technical Freepouring. If you would like to increase top line sales, significantly lower pour cost, and empassion your entire bar staff in one day, contact BMLV to schedule a Technical Freepour Training Class today. Just click on the 'RFQ' link at the bottom of the page and submit your request today. It will change your bar for the better, forever. Guaranteed.

BarMagic of Las Vegas spent three months developing, training, and opening the new 8,000 square foot Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer at the Excalibur Resort in Las Vegas. Creating a menu of fresh whiskey/whisky based cocktails and a whimsical shot menu that includes "Jack Pickle Backs" and "White Trash Weddings" took three months of R&D, sampling, training, and certification in the union environment for a bar staff of 20 young women. Despite the name, LS sells a lot more than beer. BMLV's program includes Japanese Whisky, four kinds of vermouth, 7 types of bitters, 3 types of ice cubes, and fresh fruit ranging from blackberries and jalapeños to apricots and fresh basil. This is the third fresh, high-volume program BarMagic has developed and rolled-out for the Vegas-based "DriveThis! Entertainment" company that also owns and operates outlets at Mirage, Luxor, and Caesars Palace including Casa Fuentes Cigar and Cocktail Bar, Tacos & Tequila, and Rhumbar. BMLV rolled out its first program in Vegas at Caesars Palace in 2000 at Shadow Bar, now in its 13th year of profitable operations.