Content New York’s fastest female bartenders are raising money for breast cancer research and you can help
By Francine Cohen
Russian hands and roamin’ fingers used to be the sole purview of boys trying to get some action in the back row of the movie theatre, but now it’s time for the girls to put their hands to the test.
And for a good cause. Join 16 of New York City’s fastest mixtresses in combating breast cancer as they reach for the well and put their speedy drink making skills and drink knowledge on the line at Speed Rack, the inaugural edition of the national speed bartending competition created by Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero of LUPEC and presented by LushLife Productions (www.lushlifeny.com).
In addition to promoting women in an industry dominated by men, Speed-Rack connects top female talent with industry partnerships while raising funds for breast cancer, one of the biggest risks to women across the globe. Marrero notes, “Speed Rack is the perfect opportunity to unite the national LUPEC family. The competition embodies the fun aspect of LUPEC, along with our appreciation for cocktails. Adding the judging element to the drinks based on skill adds a new dimension to speed competitions. In line with other competitions, charity is a huge part of this event and raising money for breast cancer research is most important.”
Mix adds, “Speed Rack started as a joke I had with a bartender in San Francisco about getting women to double shake on camera about a year ago. Now it has morphed into this awesome competition to promote women and help save women. I got Lynnette on board and now things are really moving forward. I am so excited to have you ladies on board, not only are we going to raise money but we’re also going to have a blast.”
An all star-lineup of bartending talent representing some of the city’s most desirable watering holes competitors will be blasting out drinks as called out by a team of judges (Dale Degroff, Julie Reiner, Jordana Rothman, Audrey Saunders)as they take to the bar in heats of two throughout the day. It all winnows down to a final competitive round beginning at 4:00 at Astor Center (www.astorcenternyc.com) ; so come and spend the afternoon and evening cheering on your favorites.
Your $10 ticket gives you access to punches created by LUPEC members using: Absolut (www.absolut.com), Banks Rum (www.banksrum.com), Becherovka (www.becherovka.com/en), Cointreau (www.cointreau.com), Fever-Tree (www.fever-tree.com), Herradura (www.herradura.com), Jameson (www.jamesonwhiskey.com), Pama (www.pamaliqueur.com), Tanqueray (www.tanqueray.com), Woodford (www.woodfordreserve.com) – all of whom are supporting the effort, and an opportunity to purchase bites from Cienfuegos (www.cienfuegosny.com) and Mayahuel (www.mayahuelny.com) while cold beers from Green Point Draft and Brooklyn Brewery (www.brooklynbrewery.com) will also be available. And for goodness sakes, buy a tee shirt ($15). All proceeds go to benefit research at the National Breast Cancer Foundation. RSVP and purchase tickets here $10 : speedracknyc.eventbrite.com/
Whether you favor: Jane Danger (Cienfuegos ), Natasha David – (Maison Premiere www.maisonpremiere.com), Jenny Dishoo (Freeman’s www.freemansrestaurant.com), Ashley Greene (Freeman’s), Tonia Guffey (Flatiron, Lani Kai, Dram www.flatironlounge.com, www.lanikainy.com, www.drambar.com), Abigail Gullo (Fort Defiance www.fortdefiancebrooklyn.com), Natalie Jacobs (Clover Club www.cloverclubny.com) , Karin Jarmin (Dutch Kills/Weather Up Tribeca www.dutchkillsbar.com), Franky Marshall , Lulu Martinez- (Painkiller) , Alaska MacFadden (Freeman’s/Weather Up Tribeca), Christina Rando (Flatiron), Eryn Reece (Mayahuel), Kelley Slagle, Lucinda Sterling (Little Branch), Yael Vengroff (PKNY www.pk-ny.com ), or Yana Volfson (Freemans/Peels www.peelsnyc.com) you are bound to have a good time raising money for a very important cause. See you there. You know it’ll feel good.