They’re taking the first four letters out of “cocktail.”
A cocktail-making competition is coming to the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Dec. 14, but don’t expect to see the contestants in waistcoats and suspenders. The event, dubbed “Speed Rack,” is a mixology mix-off just for women.
One of the organizers said she first got the idea for the competition when she found herself frustrated by the lack of opportunities for women at craft cocktail bars.
“There was no room for a woman in that scene then,” said Ivy Mix, who started Speed Rack with fellow bartender Lynnette Marrero in 2010.
Speed Rack — which is named for the area bartenders keep their most-used bottles of liquor, as well as a double entendre for the upper-body motion caused by a woman using a cocktail shaker — pits 20 liquor-slinging ladies against each other. The competition is set up like a sports tournament, with pairs going head-to-head and advancing along a bracket from quarterfinals to semifinals to the final round.
In each round the women must make four different drinks with the clock running. But while speed is of the essence, it is far from the most important factor, Mix said.
“Just because I finish more quickly doesn’t mean I win,” she said. “If I sacrifice taste and quality for speed, I could lose.”
The winner of this local contest will move on to the national competition, which will be held in New York next summer. Some of the proceeds of the event on Dec. 14 will go to breast cancer research groups chosen by the event organizers.
Many cocktail competitions require their contestants to bring a recipe for a signature cocktail, but at Speed Rack, the classic cocktail is queen. In quarterfinals and semifinals, the contestants stick to the script, serving up the drinks that any mixologist worth her salt should know by heart. But as they advance, the women are instructed to take note of their judges’ preferences, and the final two contenders have an extra challenge — to make two custom cocktails based on the instructions and observed tastes of two of the judges.
For anyone doubting the entertainment value of watching a bartender mix drinks on stage, Speed Rack’s organizers promised there is never a dull moment. The women are there to win, and tensions and emotions run high, they said.
“When we went into this we didn’t realize what a spectator sport we were creating,” said Marrero. “I feel kind of bad that I created something people can get so upset about.”
But although Speed Rack is a competition, its organizers said everyone is a winner when female bartenders are given more recognition.
“I’m not sure if Speed Rack caused this, but now all the best bars have women working behind the bars,” Mix said. “The point isn’t who wins but what we’re doing collectively as women. We’re saying ‘we’re here, and you should hire us.’”
Speed Rack at the Music Hall of Williamsburg [66 N. Sixth St. between Kent and Whythe avenues in Williamsburg, (718) 486–5400, www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com]. Dec. 14 at 3 pm, $25 ($20 in advance).
