Cocktail - The Last Barman Poet 

I became a bartender because of this film. Although I am certainly no Tom Cruise, my skills allowed me to travel around Asia doing what I loved the most for the best part of 10 yrs. Movies influence ppl, even the one's that the critics and even the actors themselves didn't think we're that great. In my top 10 of fav movies.

People joke about this today...especially industry folks...but this was actually a thing for a time. I bartended at a dance club in Atlanta for about eight months months back in the late-'90s and I was specifically asked if I could do flair stuff. I could not, but I said I could and was hired. I'm not sure how I found it, but I actually got my hands on a VHS tape that taught a lot of these moves and learned them in time for our opening night. I didn't use them all the time, but I did get to the point where spinning and flipping bottles was second nature when pouring a shot or a highball. Having thick rubber mats on the floor behind the bar is also essential since you will drop at least one bottle at some point in the night. Admittedly, when you're slammed efficiency came first. Furthermore, it was the '90s - the cocktail revolution hadn't hit. Shooters reigned supreme. There was not much craft in pouring drinks, which allowed a good deal of showmanship and some leeway in terms of sloppy drinks. Cheap amaretto, overly sweet fruit juices, and sour mix more-or-less assured that even if a particular drink was made poorly, most people wouldn't care. It is considered a dark age of drinking for a reason. Comparing then and now, I'll take a well-made drink any day over something somewhat sloppily thrown together with a lot of flair.

my generation grew up with Cruise, first he was the horny teenager (in Risky business) like we were than he was the lady killer in Top Gun and than he was off to college and started his adult life in Cocktail, Few Good Men, The Firm etc (like we did around the same time) still being a dashing hero like in Mission Impossible.

one of Tom cruises , great film, he's a fucking legend. one of his best movies!

I grew up on this movie as my Mom adored Tom Cruise, so in 2000, when I turned 21, my ex-boyfriend asked me what I wanted. My mind immediately when back to this scene in Cocktail. I said, "Um... Kamakazi?" and my ex-boyfriend looked at me funny, guess he never heard of it. He turned to the bartender and asked, "Uh... do you know how to make a Kamakazi?" I'll never forget the cold look she gave him as she dully said, "I've only been bartending for 12 years, I should fucking hope so..." I cracked up laughing so bad.

I recited this poem at my high school talent show and half way through I got beat up by the girl's basketball team.

This movie brings back great memories. It's an ultimate 80's must watch movie. I was a teenager back then, great times. Great memories.

I used to work at a movie theatre and I worked behind the concession. We showed this movie at our theater. So a coworker and I went to see it. For free of course. So, him and I started doing similar tricks like they were shown in cocktail. We were a huge hit for a couple of weeks

Although Doug had his flaws I felt sorry for him. I think deep down Doug was a tortured soul who therapeutically fed off Brian's optimistic approach to life like a prescription medicine. Doug needed Brian and Brian needed Doug - but they both were unwilling patients of their own pathological conditions. This movie is a lesson in the dangerous mix of hedonism, good times, bad luck and plain weird circumstances all combined in the toxic environment of drinking bars and nightclubs. I felt sad when I saw this movie and I remember wishing that humanity was very different. But maybe this movie is a mirror image of our own idiosyncratic tendancies in our lives - both at their best AND worst points. I think that this is a powerful movie for all the wrong reasons, instead of the right reasons. We all try to be optimistic, but sometimes in life there is no such thing as a happy ending in life. Thats the problem. And so the twisted wheel of life goes on - throwing off just as many people as those who mange to climb on. For those left in the gutter life is a bitter curse. Sad but true.

I remember a place that started flipping bottles after this movie came out ..Old drunk guy in the line up "will you just pour my fucking drink already!" lol i was in tears

How 80’s can a movie be? No more than this slick little Reagan-era gem.

The slant rhyme of "snazzy" and "kamikaze?" Not even WB Yeats could've pulled that off.

15 minutes and two bartender for one drink. That's profitable

This scene was one false move away from being total cringe. Kudos to Tom Cruise for pulling it off.

That's actually the Don Jail in Toronto.

It must take fooooooooooorever to get a mixed drink there

im watching this movie right now. and if it comes on again ill watch it agan. another tom cruise classic

Never seen that many people into poems.

It must take 6 hours to get a drink there 😂

Lol people don't seem to understand the 80s. This is peak. How can you not like this and take it so seriously. It's a fictional movie FROM THE 80s

When i'm out at the club - I always start the "More Poems" chant - Only cool if Tom Cruise is the bartender

Still a great film.. "You'll thank me for this one day.. The fuck I will"

Great movie! and Tom is great as always...

Presentation is very important when tending bars like this.

What a great movie 🎥

Lol my bartender anxiety went through the roof looking at all those people waiting for their drinks. I nearly jumped through the screen to help them. IRL that cocky flair-tender would have been hip-checked and bulldozed out of the way by the other speed-tenders busting out 15 drinks per minute. You also learn how to speed flirt.

Can you move aside I cant fit you both in. - Said during 3way later that week

This scene is too awesome!! haha

This guy is now the highest payed actor in Hollywood. He's done very very well for himself.

"The ding a ling?!"

My favourite film, tom cruise is great actor

Do you have any idea how long it would take to get a drink in this place?

Me: Can you do that hippy hippy shake from Cocktail? Bartender: Order something or get the fuck out.

I love it...Special thanks to all Authors Respect

I'm waiting for the moment the guy wakes up. This scene is surreal ha ha.

If only nightclubs were like this in real life. I'm in Utah.You have to go to Vegas, or some other cool place, to find flair bartenders like this.

Dingaling!? haha I love that part.

I get douche chills when he says "The Orgasm"...

the top gun of drink servering

I would call this Raising the Bar.. Great movie too!

Love it and drinks....

"...the Singapore sling, the dingaling - DINGALING?!!"

Bryan Brown claimed in a book the original script for Cocktail "was the best script he read". Then the studios started chopping and changing it. Suggesting that " you can't hit Tom Cruise in face, it makes the film less marketable". Brown hated the final cut of the film and abruptly walked out of the premier after watching it. Despite this the film was still a hit. And Tom Cruise and Brown stayed good friends.

The female reporter/photographer can also be seen in PS I love you.....:) This film is brilliant for its time and inspired alot of barman to learn the moves for cocktail making in which became a trend for the ladies, hehe :)

yes, that's how it works. in a crowded bar, two bartenders spend nearly a minute doing mediocre flair to make a single drink.

in all seriousness, no matter how bad the movie is, I think its the difinitive tom cruise movie.

don't you love a guy that can make a drink that well ....! ;)

When I went to a bar and tried saying a poem a bunch of Indian dudes kicked my ass.

wow cocktail is soo cool movie wow nice ....

he did say beautiful poem

Cool

Je l’adore en poète! Sexy, charmeur, bref du beau!

lol thanks for thinking that...i love this movie i went through a faze wehre it was all i watched

in my opinion the best movie Tom ever did besides Risky Business

"Ding-aling!?"

I used to like this movie, that's before I learned how to bartend.

I have the movie poster up in my pool table room in my basement :)

The reason why is that they don't come to the bar to buy drinks they come to buy you.

More Poems!! More poems!! More poems!! Are you serious?? I like this movie back when it came out and could watch it again, but this scene of an entire bar (yuppie or not) requesting (correct that, shouting and begging) for "more poems". Can't see it.

I can see Hollywood remaking this with Shia Labeouf. And Michael Fassbender in Michael Cain's place. ..."...the Alabama Slamma. The iced tea, the Kama kazzay!" (Rolls arms)

If I went to a Club and these two bozos we're bartending I'd leave immediately. However, it was a great 80's flick.

I tried those bar tricks , They didnt turn out to good haha !

Smoking hot Tom cruise!!!

Love your uploads

bartenders being the entertainment is clearly the end of the good bars, same when a DJ playing music becomes the star of the show, something amiss methinks, but the one thing they do have in common, they 2 jobs for the price of one.

David Moyes is quite a good barman.

exactly :). But this could be only a main bar, which is more like a show-stage. Drink-providing bars could be placed all around.

Christ take a long time to get served in that bar!

@simion22 Um dunno, but looks like saphire martini, 12,5ml blue curacao, 37.5ml vodka, shaken, served in a chilled martini glass, no straws, garnish is red or blue cocktail cherry.

And Tom Cruise is still working on becoming a big celebrity.

sad I still have that shirt

Real life bar owners would fire these guys. Got a whole line of people waiting on drinks, and they're reciting poems and taking 10 mins to pour 1 drink.

Yea if I was a girl in the 80's I'd probably do tom cruise.....

Fun fact. This was filmed at the Don jail in Toronto.

John Neumann First Computer 1945

what a fucking good scene

Gothenburg

this is... something...

Some bad lines but a great movie to fall asleep to...!!

Can anybody here please identify which SLR camera that she’s using in this scene?

Last barman poet ...

My ( now) Ex loves this movie. He always wanted to be like Tom In the film-- confident, talented, desired by all women.... Too bad he's a bald, fat, 42 year old Narcissist----😂😂😂 He's a waste of space, and really, so is this movie.. No depth, predictable, juvenile... *** just like Him---- Todd Redmond, Erie, Pa.

Guess this scene was a prototype for his role in Magnolia! lol

Jordan Clarkson brought me here 😂

High Priestess Creole Queen Working That MoJo^^

Yep. She's Holly's married friend.

This movie got me pregnant

🦋

All shook up by Ry Cooter i think

Where i😊s Rudi?

ALABAMA SLAMMA!!!

I liked the movie - as corny as it was at the time. But in real life...who would wait that long for a drink?? Seriously?

he didnt shake that good enough

whats the music called?

Stevie baby

Bar's Open!!

Lily 🇸🇪

DINK-A-LING! LOL

wooww!!!! thats really cooll!!!!!

The sex scene between Bryan and Coral was not very believable