Miss Charming's Book of Bar Amusements [Paperback]

Cheryl Charming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2000

Amaze Your Friends! Entertain Strangers! Win a Free Beer!

Have fun while wow-ing those around you with your creativity and dexterity at the bar! This book teaches you how to perform eighty different tricks using matches, toothpicks, glasses, coins, bottles, napkins and other items readily available in any party, pub, club, or bar.

Light a cigar by swiping it across a one-dollar bill
Pick up a bottle using only a straw
Make a cup float in the air
Get a shot of liquor out of an empty bottle

This book teaches you how to perform these and seventy-six other tricks to astound, baffle, and provide an unforgettable introduction to the cutie at the next table, or just liven up your local tavern. Rated from easy to difficult, Miss Charming shows you how to warm up your audience, stump your friends, and finish big to make a lasting impression. With a little practice, you can become the life of the party!

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Amaze Your Friends! Entertain Strangers! Win a Free Beer!

Have fun while wow-ing those around you with your creativity and dexterity at the bar! This book teaches you how to perform eighty different tricks using matches, toothpicks, glasses, coins, bottles, napkins and other items readily available in any party, pub, club, or bar.

Light a cigar by swiping it across a one-dollar bill
Pick up a bottle using only a straw
Make a cup float in the air
Get a shot of liquor out of an empty bottle

This book teaches you how to perform these and seventy-six other tricks to astound, baffle, and provide an unforgettable introduction to the cutie at the next table, or just liven up your local tavern. Rated from easy to difficult, Miss Charming shows you how to warm up your audience, stump your friends, and finish big to make a lasting impression. With a little practice, you can become the life of the party!

About the Author

Cheryl Charming, an expert in tricks, riddles, and magic, has spent twenty years entertaining people all over the world with her bar amusements. Her restaurant and bartending experience led her to Walt Disney World, where she taught a mandatory course for all servers and bartenders so that more people could join in the fun. She currently resides in Gainesville, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609805088
• ISBN-13: 978-0609805084
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,197,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cheryl Charming aka Miss Charming™ has been heavily steeped in the cocktail culture for more than 30 years. Her current claim-to-fame is having the most published bar & cocktail related books than anyone in the world.

She has tended bar for 30+ years, maintains a 13 year old info-rich website (misscharming.com), Charming Cocktails blog (http://charmingcocktails.wordpress.com), 5000 question iPhone drink trivia app (http://www.misscharming.com/app.htm), hand crafts fun cocktail jewelry (http://www.misscharming.com/jewelry.html), collects drink seen in film (http://www.misscharming.com/bartender/silverscreencocktails.html), and performs bar magic and tricks (http://www.misscharming.com/tricks/tricks.htm).

In high school, at age 16, she worked as a pizza waitress then quickly progressed to cocktail waitress, barback, bartender, and head bartender. With a penchant for travel, Cheryl tended bar many places around America, a cruise ship in the Caribbean, and Walt Disney World. While working at WDW she became the bar trick/bar magic instructor for Disney's F&B training program, Quest for the Best.

Cheryl is involved with hosting and participating in events for Tales of the Cocktail and teaching "Edutaining" cocktail classes for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line passengers. She is also a member of The Bartenders Guild and The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Cheryl is computer savvy and very easy to follow or contact through Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/cherylcharming), Facebook groups Cocktail Cinema (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41239441432&ref=ts) and Miss Trivia (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=92027526133&ref=ts), as well as Twitter, MySpace, iChat, Skype, Windows Live, Yahoo, LinkedIn, and Amazon. Looking to meet her at Tales? Then text her on her iPhone | 407.924.6234.

Cheryl studied Graphic and Interactive Communication at Ringling College of Art & Design and works as a freelance graphic artist, often creating cocktail menus.

Currently, she lives in the French Quarter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, December 24, 2002

By 

krisrb "krisrb" (Phoenixville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Miss Charming's Book of Bar Amusements (Paperback)

Although many of the "amusements" are amusing - they are also logic tricks that we did in the 3rd grade. Such as moving matchsticks around to form a shape in less than 2 moves....the book just doesn't provide enough of the "cool" tricks that I expected from the description.

Also, and my biggest complaint, is that many of the tricks use the assumption that I can palm coins, dollar bills, and other items with no effort. If I could palm items, I probably wouldn't be reading this book to learn tricks.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lost Art Returns, August 9, 2000

By 

Robert Hess (Lake Forest Park, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Miss Charming's Book of Bar Amusements (Paperback)

I have very fond memories of once spending several hours at a bar where the bartender took joy in entertaining his various customers with witty tricks and brain teasers. Since then, I thought that this was a lost art.

Fortunately Cheryl shares my wonder and enjoyment of this unique form of entertainment, and has now provided us with a unique manual which I hope bartenders the world over will use to reaquaint themselve with this artform.

I highly recommend this book to any bartenders, bartenders in training, or just folks who want to show their favorite bartender a trick or two.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheers!, August 10, 2000

By 

Connie Butcher (Gainesville, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Charming's Book of Bar Amusements (Paperback)

I met Miss Charming 11 years ago while on a cruise, her magnetic personality drew people of all ages to her bar. The tricks she performed using common bar items were always amusing and on occasion, amazing. I would see grown men shake their head in wonderment. I just got her new book, and we have been experimenting with several of her "amusements". I have found it both entertaining to read and written in a manner that even I could follow her directions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who entertains, it is great for ice breakers both at a private party and while out on the town. What better way to meet people than to trade fun tricks. Miss Charming says she has over a 1,000 bar tricks, so I am sure we will all be looking forward to her next book as well. Enjoy!