A Russian man suffered severe burns after a barman set fire to his head while trying to pour a glass of flaming absinthe into his mouth.

Alexey Ponamarev, 28, had to be rushed to hospital with burns to his face after the incident in a bar in Novosibirsk, south-west Siberia, which was caught on camera by his girlfriend.

Doctors treated him for first- and second-degree burns and Mr Ponamarev is now reportedly preparing to sue the bar for half-a-million roubles (£10,300).  

Burning bright blue: Alexey Ponamarev, 28, watches as barman Albert Bykov lights the absinthe

I’m ready: My Ponamarev leans back on the bar as Mr Bykov makes sure all the liquor is alight

Open wide: His jaws agape, Mr Ponamarev waits for the absinthe to be poured in

Ouch: Flames cascade down with the liquor, setting the side of Mr Ponamarev’s face on fire

The footage his girlfriend Anfisa Kirillova took of the painful incident on Saturday has been handed to police.

It shows the bartender lighting the drink, which burns a bright blue, then swishing it around the glass as Mr Ponamarev lays his head back on the bar.

But as he begins to pour the drink into the customer’s mouth, flames cascade down with the burning fluid and spread across Mr Ponamarev’s face.

Miss Kirillova can be heard shrieking with terror and the camera cuts out.

Mr Ponamarev was taken by ambulance to a nearby burns clinic where he was treated for burns to his face and one ear, Russian site Life News reported.

He is now on sick leave from work and preparing to sue the bar where the incident happened. The barman Albert Bykov, 34, said he had done the trick many times before without incident.

‘The situation is ambiguous,’ he said. ‘The customer asked me to pour burning absinthe. Usually we do it with sambuca, but the guest is always right so, warning him of the danger, I tried to do it.

He said Mr Ponamarev had messed up the stunt by covering his mouth.

‘We immediately tried to give him first aid, put a wet towel on his face and offered to smear it with cream,’ added Mr Bykov.

The bar’s management said they hoped the situation could be resolved amicably.

Read more: Daily Mail