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| Photo: Courtesy Speed Rack
Speed Rack—the fast-paced,
lady-driven bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer
awareness and research—continues its cross-country tour with a stop this Sunday
in Kansas City, Missouri. But before the next round of bartenderesses get
shaking to vie for their spot in the finals, we thought we’d check in with last
year’s winner, Ms. Speed Rack 2013, Eryn Reece, on five of her favorite
cocktails from the competition. “Speed Rack made me quick to think on my feet,”
Reece says, “and there are only so many drinks that one can know! There were
five essentially old and unworked recipes that made me a little nervous, but
after playing around a bit, I found balance for the modern palate that I really
love.”
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Mary Pickford
“Honestly this is a real
tough one,” says Reece. “Ingredients like grenadine are extremely different
from bottle to bottle,” she continues, so finding the right balance is key.
Here is Reece’s formula.
2 oz. white rum (Reece uses
Bacardi)
1/2 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
(Reece uses Luxardo)
1 tsp. grenadine
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Combine all ingredients,
shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass.
Presidente
“This is another lovely rum
cocktail,” says Reece, who changed up the proportions in order to let the rum
flavors shine through.
2 oz. white rum (Reece uses
Bacardi)
3/4 oz. Dolin Blanc
vermouth
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 tsp. grenadine
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Combine all ingredients,
shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass.
Pisco Punch
“This cocktail really
showcases pisco,” Reece says, “and shows people that this spirit can be used in
more than just a traditional sour.” For Reece’s variation, she tones down the
pineapple just a tad.
2 oz. pisco (Reece uses
BarSol)
1/2 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 simple syrup (1:1)
Dash Angostura bitters
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: Collins
Combine all ingredients,
shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass.
Antrim
“Being a fan of the Gentleman's
Companion, I love finding new
Charles Baker cocktails,” says Reece, “especially ones with wine-based
ingredients.” For this version, Reece ups the amount of Cognac and uses less
port.
2 oz. Cognac (Reece uses
Hine)
3/4 oz. ruby port (Reece
uses Sandeman)
1 tsp. sugar cane syrup
(1:1)
Tools: mixing glass,
barspoon
Glass: coupe
Combine all ingredients,
stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Weeski
This take on a Manhattan
leans on an Irish whiskey base and subs in Lillet for vermouth. “I remember
this being a difficult one because a lot of girls chose to free pour it,” says
Reece, “but it’s a delicate drink and being off on any of the ingredients can
really throw the balance.”
2 oz. Irish whiskey (Reece
uses Jameson)
1 oz. Lillet blanc
2 dashes orange bitters
Tools: mixing glass,
barspoon, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Garnish: orange twist
Combine all ingredients and
stir with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish.