{"id":140217,"date":"2026-02-20T17:59:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140217\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:59:34","slug":"speed-racks-all-femme-showdown-returns-to-nyc-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140217\/","title":{"rendered":"Speed Rack\u2019s all-femme showdown returns to NYC \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Speed\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Speed Rack, the all-femme cocktail competition\u2019s, NYC regionals returns March 9. <\/p>\n

Photos by Stephen Kurpinsky<\/p>\n

When Speed Rack<\/a> returns to New York on March 9, the energy inside Mellrose Ballroom won\u2019t feel like a typical industry event. It will feel more like a punk concert meets an athletic showdown \u2014 with perfectly executed cocktails flying across the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now in its 14th U.S. season, the all-women and femme bartending competition<\/a> has become a global force, raising more than $1.85 million for breast cancer education, prevention and research since its founding in 2011. Organizers are aiming to surpass $2 million this year. The high-energy event has lit up Brooklyn stages before, and this March, it returns to New York ready to shake, stir and rally once again.<\/p>\n

Founded by spirits industry veterans Lynette Marrero and Ivy Mix, Speed Rack was born out of a moment when the modern cocktail renaissance was taking off \u2014 but women weren\u2019t always centered in the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started on Speed Rack in June 2011,\u201d Marrero told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cI keep joking, you know, this year is our quincea\u00f1era \u2014 even though we\u2019re in Season 14, because we had a gap year with the pandemic, so it took an extra long time to finish that season.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the early days of the craft cocktail boom, Marrero described an industry that initially felt open to anyone willing to put in the work. But as cocktail culture gained mainstream popularity around 2008 and 2009, a particular image began to dominate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"SpeedSpeed Rack is entering its 14th season, hoping to reach $2 million raised for breast cancer research.Photo by Stephen Kurpinsky<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat everyone thought was the meme of this bar movement had to be the classic bartender with arm garters and a mustache and suspenders,\u201d she said. \u201cWomen weren\u2019t fitting into that look.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, talented women were everywhere \u2014 often working just as hard, if not harder.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d go into these bars and the star bartender guy is in the front working on drinks for three people, and there\u2019s this amazing bartender and she is cranking out drinks for hundreds of people,\u201d Marrero said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018I\u2019ve been really thinking about this.\u2019 I think that if we actually could do a real competition that highlights women\u2019s talent \u2014 something about them making cocktails, focusing on what they actually do \u2014 that would matter,\u201d Marrero recalled.<\/p>\n

The format they built was intentionally demanding. Competitors are judged on speed, accuracy, taste and presentation. In each heat, bartenders prepare four classic cocktails as quickly as possible while judges add penalty seconds for any execution flaws.<\/p>\n

\"SpeedMarrero (left) and Mix (right) saw an underrepresentation of women in the cocktail industry. Then, together they created Speed Rack.Photos by Christopher Pearce<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much athleticism,\u201d Marrero said. \u201cThey\u2019re making these four-drink rounds, and the judges taste the cocktails side by side and add penalty seconds based on execution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only the fastest and most precise move forward, culminating in a National Finals showdown in July at The Republic during Tales of the Cocktail.\n<\/p>\n

For Mix, the competition\u2019s secret isn\u2019t just the format \u2014 it\u2019s the culture.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real thing about Speed Rack is the culture and the community that is together,\u201d she told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a big sorority.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Before every event, Mix tells the competitors the same thing:\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one of you is going to win today. There are 25 of you here \u2014 only one is going to win. It literally is anyone\u2019s game. But at the end of the day, it doesn\u2019t really matter if you win. Just being in this room, the practicing you did for the weeks before this, the fact that we live stream all of our events and have people from all over the world watching \u2014 someone will reach out to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That global web has grown season after season, connecting bartenders from New York to Mexico to Chicago and beyond.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cultural phenomenon,\u201d Mix said.\n<\/p>\n

And despite the serious mission \u2014 raising funds for breast cancer research \u2014 the vibe is unmistakably high-energy.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBreast cancer is not a fun subject,\u201d Mix said. \u201cLack of opportunity for groups of people is not necessarily a fun subject. But the vibe of Speed Rack is \u2014 you\u2019re magnificent. People are happy. It\u2019s all for a good cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the competition tours six cities, from Washington D.C. to Seattle, the New York regional always feels special.\u00a0
\n\"SpeedThe all-femme cocktail competition consists of bartenders preparing four classic cocktails as quickly as possible while judges add penalty seconds for any execution flaws.Photo by Stephen Kurpinsky\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve recruited a contingency of people who are coming on the train to hop over,\u201d Marrero laughed. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be in a room of people who are supportive and fun and electric.\u201d<\/p>\n

For $25, attendees can sample cocktails, cheer on competitors and be part of something bigger than a night out.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat else could you possibly be doing on a Monday that\u2019s more fun than Speed Rack?\u201d Mix said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it exists. And you\u2019re home by 10.\u201d<\/p>\n

She describes it best: \u201cSpeed Rack is like roller derby meets a girl punk band. It\u2019s kind of punk, athletic. It\u2019s camaraderie, it\u2019s competition. There are fans, signs and tons of jokes. It\u2019s just a really good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speed Rack NYC Regionals comes to the Melrose Ballroom on March 9. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speed Rack, the all-femme cocktail competition\u2019s, NYC regionals returns March 9. Photos by Stephen Kurpinsky When Speed Rack…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[9947,98,100,99,10456,59236,59237,59238,59239,59240,9,24,12,370,63,12682,59241,59242],"class_list":{"0":"post-140217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-breast-cancer-awareness","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","11":"tag-brooklyn-news","12":"tag-brooklyn-nightlife","13":"tag-cocktail-competition","14":"tag-female-mixologists","15":"tag-ivy-mix","16":"tag-lynnette-marrero","17":"tag-melrose-ballroom","18":"tag-new-york","19":"tag-new-york-city","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-newsletter","22":"tag-nyc","23":"tag-nyc-events","24":"tag-speed-rack","25":"tag-women-bartenders"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}