How to raise the profile of female bartenders and fundraise

There’s no shortage of great female bartenders here in Blighty: we’re looking at you Andrea Montague, Esther Medina, Julie Doumer, Sarah Mitchell, Sian Ferguson, Dee Ann Quinones, Susie Wong, Ash Bovey and Sam Fish amongst others. Even so, Speed Rack is like a breath of fresh air on the bar front. It gives women a platform to show the world they know what’s what.

We’re not going all girl power here. But we are acknowledging the fact that there is some fantastic female talent out there that often gets overlooked. That’s why Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, decided to set up Speed Rack, a speed-based cocktail competition for women – a boobs and booze fest if you will (their words not ours). In just two years the annual event has raised over $150,000 for breast cancer charities in the US and next week, it’s coming to London for the first time.

Sixteen females from bars in Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Aberdeen, Cambridge and London will be going head-to-head in a series of timed cocktail challenges and judges including Rebecca Seal from Channel 4, JJ Goodman from the London Cocktail Club and lil ole us, will rate each drink on prep time and accuracy.

It’s going to be heaps of fun and the best bit is, everyone’s invited to join in the party. Tickets cost £15 in advance (£20 on the door) and include taster cocktails from sponsors including 42Below vodka, Bloom gin, Merlet cognac, Auchentoshan whisky, Appleton Estate rum and Lillet elderflower liqueur. All proceeds go to The Haven breast cancer charity.

www.thehaven.org

The Cocktail Lovers say:

Do your bit and buy your ticket for Speed Rack. The event takes place from 5pm-9pm on Monday 24th June at Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch EC2A 3PA. Tickets available from here. See you there!

This week we’re loving:

The Pimm’s Summer Garden – an indoor oasis complete with deckchairs, the smell of cut grass, the chirping of birds and lashings and lashings of Pimm’s. Join the Picnic Club and secure your blanket reservation on the ‘lawn’, complete with picnic and a can of Pimm’s. Until 29 June. 5 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7HY.

For more information see www.facebook.com/PimmsTime

Written for The Independent Dish of the Day blog 20/6/2013

The Cocktail Lovers

The Cocktail Lovers are Mr G and Ms S, a man and a woman who share a passion for cocktails. (We also happen to be married, so we’re cocktail lovers in more ways than one…)