It’s 2.30pm on a sunny Sydney Sunday afternoon, and the National Finals of Speed Rack Australia are about to commence. The doors open and 12 of Australia’s finest and fastest bartenders file down the stairs of the Oxford Art Factory, for a competition like no other…
Words by Rachael Bartlett, National Brand Ambassador – Monkey Shoulder and Sailor Jerry
In March, William Grant & Sons Australia announced that after a six-year hiatus it was bringing Speed Rack, the US high-speed bartending competition for female and femme identifying bartenders, back to Australian shores, simultaneously raising money for breast cancer research projects.
On 19 October, after months of planning and preparation, Kristin Christie from The Gresham (QLD) was crowned National Champion, following in the footsteps of Priscilla Leong and Millie Tang, and more than $15,000 was raised for Tour de Cure.
As well as the National Champion title and winning one of the most challenging bartending competitions on the circuit, Christie takes home $5000 of tailored professional development, supported by William Grant & Sons.
Speed Rack was born over chicken wings and cheap beer at the Super Bowl in 2011, by two powerhouses of the NYC bar scene, Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero.
“We wanted to create a platform for women bartenders,” Marrero explains. “We wanted a competition that tested bartenders in real life situations. Instead of testing their ability to create one drink, we wanted to challenge them to showcase what they do every day in a bar – create quality cocktails with speed of service in mind.”
From 50 to 12, then eight
This October, after nine months, five state rounds and over 50 competitors from across Australia, the 12 national finalists were whittled down to eight through the prelims round. No audience, just four industry judges, four classic cocktails and a stopwatch. The fastest eight would progress to the live finals that evening.
After a strong performance by all, Kristin Christie (QLD), Kayla Reid (VIC), Lex Kar Yee Mak (SA), Bridget Love (WA), Flick Eshman (NSW), Sara Behunin (NSW), Cat Cheesman (TAS), and TK Hewett (QLD) were given three hours to ready themselves for the next stage – the head-to-head live finals.
The top eight announcement is one of the hardest moments of the day, but also shows of the comp’s strength and positivity. It was disappointing for Trinity Bird (VIC), Anneliese Grazioli (NT), Kaila Perruzza (WA) and Mix Marseilles (SA), who didn’t make it through, but the room was full of cheers and encouragement for the next round.
While many had only met face to face the night before, during the live finals everyone was front and centre, cheering, live streaming, and providing a running commentary to those who couldn’t be there.
One half of the duo behind Mix Haus, a not-for-profit supporting women in hospitality, Pippa Canavan, says, “Speed Rack is one of the toughest bartending competitions out there, and it’s an excellent way for femme bartenders to prove their skills not only to the industry but to themselves.
“So many female bartenders unnecessarily doubt themselves and it’s a great way to build confidence. But the real benefit of Speed Rack is the connections that you make – it’s stressful, but that makes it an amazing bonding experience! The sense of community, support and mutual learning is really heartwarming to watch.”
In preparation for the state rounds, Mix Haus – in partnership with William Grant & Sons – coordinated training sessions for competitors across the country. These covered everything from round-building to niche classic cocktail specs.
Regarding her preparation for Speed Rack, national champion Kristin Christie said after the first training, Leah [Dunnigan] made space at Savile Row for several relaxed trainings.
“We were all learning together. That created a great environment for all of us that had seen each other around, but hadn’t really had a chance to get to know other femmes in the [Brisbane] community. It created a lot of great bonds that you would have seen in our state final – we were all there to support each other, we really wanted everyone to succeed,” Christie says.
Around the country, knowledge was shared between bartenders, across venues and cities. Group chats were created for practice sessions and to share tips and techniques.
An online regional entry path was created so geography wasn’t a barrier.
This organic growth of a community was built on a mutual desire to support and uplift each other in an industry that has historically found this a challenge – and it doesn’t end once the winner is announced – the opportunities that Speed Rack creates, and the conversations it starts, lead to even bigger things.
Mix Haus co-founder, Shirley Yeung, said the community aspect of Speed Rack influenced Mix Haus from its beginning because she experienced it first hand.
“I was fortunate enough to be a part of Australia Season 1 [in 2018] and got to experience all the positivity of being in a room filled with women – it’s a feeling that can only be described as… powerful.
“To see how it’s adapted and grown over the many years is an incredible thing to witness and still be a part of today. There have been so many women/femmes I met for the first time in this competition, and they have become some of our industry’s greatest leaders,” Yeung says.
She was also one of this year’s judges.
The final round
When Christie and Kayla Reid stepped on stage for the final round, in front of a room full of their peers, they were both in it to win it.
Months of practice came down to just three minutes and four cocktails, with Kristin’s speed and composure cinching the win.
But no one left empty-handed on Sunday night. Speed Rack is a competition like no other, not only in format, but in the connection it fosters – it’s not just the winning, but the community the participants create along the way. And anything is possible when women have a community.