Speed Rack is a speed bartending competition for women in the United States that was cofounded by bartenders Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero. In 2011, Mix approached Marrero, who was the president of the New York City chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails), about creating a competition to showcase talented women in the craft cocktail world. [1] The competition raises funds for Breast Cancer education, prevention and research, while promoting women bartenders in an largely male promoted industry. [2]
The competition starts with timed heats in different cities around the country before the final in New York City. Proceeds from the tickets to every stage of the competition are donated to various breast cancer charities and the competition has raised over $350,000 in the past 5 years. [3] 100% of the proceeds go to charity with the supplies and locations being donated, while the show is run by volunteers. [4] Major liquor companies such as Jameson, Stoli and Barcardi are sponsors. [5]
Speed Rack got its name from the shelf below a bar where well liquor is stored to make quick cocktails. [6]
The competition makes 8 stops around the country each year for the preliminary heats. Only the top 8 in each city advance to the final round of the heat to determine the winner that will head to the finals in NYC. Competitors are given a list of 75 cocktails that could appear in the competition, giving them time to memorize the drinks, practice their speed and improve their quality. [7] In the beginning heats the competitors must make 10 drinks from a pre-determined list as best and fast as possible, this narrows the field down to the final 8 in each city. [4] [8] Competitors must be skilled in both speed and accuracy, even if a competitor does not have the fastest time, if their cocktails are better than those that are quicker they could still advance in the competition. The judges are looking for the best cocktails out of the group that are made the quickest. [9]
Each city's winner is crowned Ms. Speed Rack - Seattle or Chicago etc. and given a ticket to attend the final in New York. [10] [4]
Speed Rack is just one competition or organization that is bringing awareness to the gender gap in bartending. [11] Kate Gerwin was the Bols bartending champion in 2014 and then established Girls with Bols that pairs new, up and coming, female bartenders with mentors. [11]
The San Antonio Cocktail Conference hosts "Women Shaking It Up" where proceeds go to Girls Inc. of San Antonio. [12]
LUPEC has chapters all over the country that help educate and empower female bartenders. [13]
A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer mixed with a shot of whiskey.
A bartender is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but also occasionally at private parties. Bartenders also usually maintain the supplies and inventory for the bar. As well as serving beer and wine, a bartender can generally also mix classic cocktails such as a Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Mojito.
Flair bartending is the practice of bartenders entertaining guests, clientele or audiences with the manipulation of bar tools and liquor bottles in tricky, dazzling ways. Used occasionally in cocktail bars, the action requires skills commonly associated with jugglers. It has become a sought-after talent among venue owners and marketers to help advertise a liquor product or the opening of a bar establishment. Competitions have been sponsored by liquor brands to attract flair bartenders, and some hospitality training companies hold courses to teach flair techniques.
A flaming drink is a cocktail or other mixed drink that contains flammable, high-proof alcohol, which is ignited before consumption. The alcohol may be an integral part of the drink, or it may be floated as a thin layer across the top of the drink. The flames are mostly for dramatic flair. However, in combination with certain ingredients, the flavor of the drink is altered. Some flavors are enhanced, and the process may impart a toasted flavor to some drinks.
Mr. Boston, previously Old Mr. Boston, was a distillery located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1933 to 1986. It produced its own label of gin, bourbon, rum, and brandies, as well as a few cordials and liqueurs.
Lucas Bols N.V. is a Dutch public company in the business of production, distribution, sales and marketing of alcoholic beverages. It claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world. Its brand portfolio consists of Bols, Galliano, Vaccari, Pisang Ambon, Gold Strike and a large group of Dutch genevers and liqueurs. It produces about 3 million cases a year, with yearly revenues exceeding 95 million euros.
The Last Word is a gin-based Prohibition-era cocktail originally developed at the Detroit Athletic Club.
The Havana Club International Cocktail Grand Prix it is an international bartending competition that began in 1996. Since then the competition has taken place every two years in Havana, Cuba. The Grand Prix is organized by Havana Club, with the support of the Cuban Cantineros Club. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) is an associated sponsor of the competition.
A lemon drop is a vodka-based cocktail that has a lemony, sweet and sour flavor, prepared using lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. It has been described as a variant of, or as "a take on", the Vodka Martini, but is in actual fact a closer to a White Lady variant. It is typically prepared and served straight up – chilled with ice and strained.
A well drink or rail drink is an alcoholic beverage served using the lower-cost liquors stored within easy reach of the bartender in the counter "speed rail", "speed rack", or "well".
Bartending school refers to private education businesses that teach individuals the many intricacies of serving customers alcohol from behind a bar. This includes not only classes in such topics as drinks mixology: the intricacies of mixing drinks and drink presentation, and the alcohol laws of the city and state, or province, in which the school is situated.
Ada Coleman (1875–1966) was head bartender at the Savoy Hotel in London for 23 years, one of only two women to have held that position. While working at the Savoy, she invented the "hanky panky", a distinctive variation on the sweet martini cocktail.
Lynnette Marrero is an American bartender, mixologist, and philanthropist known for creating the world's first all-female speed bartending competition, "Speed Rack." She is widely regarded as one of the pioneer female cocktail-specific bartenders in the industry, and is based in New York City.
Eryn Reece is an American bartender. She is the bar director for Banzabar and Freemans Restaurant, both in New York City. In 2013, Reece was named Speed Rack National Champion. In 2014, The Daily Meal named her one of the top 25 bartenders in the United States. Reece has been profiled in, and her work featured in, PUNCH, The Daily Beast, Maxim, WPIX, The Spirits Business, Thrillist, and other media outlets.
Ivy Mix is an American bartender. She is head bartender and co-owner of the James Beard Award-nominated bar Leyenda in Brooklyn, New York. She co-founded Speed Rack alongside Lynnette Marrero. Mix was named Best American Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail in 2015.
Monica Berg is a Norwegian bartender, liquor company owner, and digital innovator in London. She is originally from Norway. She received the Linie Honorary Award for her contributions to Norwegian food and drink culture in 2015 and in 2019 received the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award at The World's 50 Best Bars, making her the first woman to be given the award.
Julie Reiner is an American mixologist, club owner, and author. Reiner is one of New York's most influential bar owners, having established the Flatiron Lounge, Lani Kai, and the Clover Club. Major publications have featured Reiner's drink recipes, including The Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Esquire, GQ, and Time Out London. Reiner has trained many female bartenders.
Audrey Saunders is an American bartender, considered one of the world's most famous bartenders and New York's most famous female bartender.
The craft cocktail movement is a social movement spurred by the cocktail renaissance, a period of time in the 21st century characterized by a revival and re-prioritization of traditional recipes and methods in the bar industry.