Speed Rack Asia 2017: Drink, Make Merry, and Give to Charity!

PUBLISHED March 7th, 2017 05:00 am | UPDATED May 23rd, 2017 01:25 pm

International female bartending competition Speed Rack will be making their Asian debut in Singapore this Sunday, 12 March 2017 – just in time for International Women’s Day (tomorrow, 8 March) this week. Founders Ivy Mix and Lynette Marrero will be travelling from the US for the official launch of the regional edition; so it’s going to be one helluva event alongside the 20 female bartenders competing!

Speed Rack started in 2011 in the States before expanding internationally to Canada and the United Kingdom in 2015 – making Speed Rack the only all-female global bartending competition. While Ivy and Lynette’s main objective was to give more recognition to female bartenders in a male-dominated field, they still make it a point to give back to society, in one way or another, through charity. Talk about girl power!

For the Asia edition, we’re not sure if it’s more geography than anything else, but we’re proud of the fact that 14 out of 20 participants in Speed Rack Asia hail from our little red dot. Local bartenders include familiar names like Bannie Kang (Anti:dote), Kino Soh (Highball), Symphony Loo (Neon Pigeon), and Charmaine Ann Thio (28 HongKong Street). Among the overseas contenders, you’ll find Stella Mary Joao (Southside Parlour, Seoul), Angel Ji (PS150, Kuala Lumpur), and Ana Souza (The Pontiac, Hong Kong) amongst them.

Supported by the likes of brands like Bacardi, The Botanist, Wild Turkey, Heering, and Giffard, they’ll be going head-to-head in a test of speed and aptitude, making four cocktails from the sponsors’ selection of spirits, liqueurs and syrups. Only eight bartenders will go on to the final round, and this is where it gets exciting. The ‘Round Robin’ will pit the semi-finalists against each other by having them make rounds and rounds of cocktails with the threat of instant elimination. Those who remain will move on to the next round until there are only two left standing for the final showdown! The final contender will be then crowned the very first ‘Miss Speed Rack Asia 2017’.

So come on down and support your favourite bartender (or favourite bar) at Speed Rack Asia. The competition is open to public; cocktails are going at $10 a pop and munchies by Park Bench Deli will be available. Did we mention that all proceeds will be going to charity? What a way to commemorate International Women’s Day!

Speed Rack Asia 2017 is happening on 12 March 2017 at The Great Escape, Beach Road,#05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 11am to 5pm (Competition from 2pm till 5pm).