Speed Rack National Finals

Overview

Cocktails are unanimously a pretty good thing, and so are cool ladies being great at things. And Speed Rack, a nationwide cocktail-making competition, combines the two.

Created by pro-bartenders Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, Speed Rack throws together some of the most talented up-and-comers in the bartending industry and gets them to compete in timed challenges. While the competition has been running in the US and Canada for a while, it's the first time finals have been hosted down under.

All female and all pretty boss at whipping up a margarita, the sixteen women competing in Speed Rack hail from as close as Wollongong and as far away as Perth. There's a slew of Sydney bartenders partaking, too, including Jenna Hemsworth from Restaurant Hubert, Alissa Kate Grabriel from Mjølner and Priscilla Leong from The Baxter Inn.

Judges include Kathleen Davies, founder of spirits distributor company Nip Of Courage, Paige Aubort, local bartending legend and founder of Coleman's Academy, Sam Bygraves, editor of Australian Bartender Magazine, and Tash Conte, owner of Melbourne venue Black Pearl.

And, apart from maraschino cherries, a sweet thing about the event is that it gives back to charity — Speed Rack has already raised more than $850,000 for breast cancer research charities. Tickets are $25 (or $30 on the door), with all proceeds being donated. Your ticket price includes cocktails and spirit samples, as well as snacks.

Speed Rack National Finals will run from 3pm–7pm.