Was this the kind of sh!t to do for fun back in the 80s? Go down to TGIF and watch bartenders put on a Behihannas show? And what exactly were they doing that was so amazing? Anybody can twirl a Grey Goose bottle. At what point to you realize, cut the circus crap and just give me my martini.
shareDrinks are drinks... when people go out to bars, they want to meet other cool people, or be seen by other cool people. The difference between a great bar and a lame bar is the people that come to it. The circus act was their niche to make the bar hip and trendy, and make people want to go to that bar instead of another.
The same reason people go to the Hardrock Cafe instead of Denny's for a burger.