Female bartenders are a force to be reckoned with, and the ladies behind Speed Rack aim to show the world why. Now in its second year, Speed Rack is a national cocktail competition featuring talented female bartenders in some of America's top cocktail cities, putting them head to head in round robin style timed and judged challenges. Each city has only one winner who is invited to compete in a national competition for a chance to be crowned Miss Speed Rack USA (be sure to read our interview with last year's winner, Yael Vengroff). This is the first competition to focus on showcasing the up-and-coming generation of women in the spirits industry, and Imbibe is proud to be a Top Shelf Sponsor of the 2012/2013 tour, which kicks off on October 3 and raises money for breast cancer research.
Founded in 2011 by New York bartender Ivy Mix of Clover Club and James Beard award-honoree Lynnette Marrero, this marks Speed Rack's second national tour. Last year, they raised more than $69,000 for National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer (SHARE). This year, they hope to raise even more.
Speed Rack is traveling to ten cities this year, including Boston, New York, Tucson, Tampa, St. Louis, Texas, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Chicago. You can check out the full list with tour dates here, and if you're in the Boston area don't miss the opening event of the season, which takes place Wednesday, October 3, during the Boston Cocktail Summit. Buy your tickets here!
We’ll be sure to keep everyone up to date as the competition gets underway. In the meantime, we suggest you find your closest tour stop and buy those tickets.