BOTTLES were flung, glasses were juggled and ice was thrown up in the air in Southampton this week.

The city was playing host to the second heat of Europe's first amateur flair bartending competition to find The Red Square Young Flair Bartender of the Year.

Ten flair bartenders were at Southampton's Los Marinos bar wHere they each had just five minutes to do theIR stuff and impress the judges. The event on Tuesday evening was opened with a demonstration by world champion cocktail shaker Neil Garner, before the competitors stepped up.

They entertained the crowds gathered at the bar in Town Quay with spinning bottles, fast hands and amazing acrobatics, showing off the skills of flairing first made popular by Tom Cruise's 1980's hit film Cocktail.

"The quality was absolutely phenomenal," said James Adam, from Red Square.

"It really was quite impressive watching them perform."

The top three - from London, Guildford and Northampton - will join the winners of four other regional heats being held across the United Kingdom in the final in London early next year.

The winner will receive £1,500 and a contract with the UK's leading flair agency.