A Need for Speed
How fast could you make four classic cocktails? If the answer is beyond three minutes, you don’t stand a chance at Speed Rack— the all-female speed-bartending competition that supports breast cancer. Local and visiting bartenders competed Monday in front of judges including Hank’s Oyster Bar Chef/Owner Jamie Leeds (far left) and cocktail savant Todd Thrasher. Each round, two bartenders whipped up four classic cocktails selected by the judges moments before. The first one finished didn’t necessarily win, as the judges could add seconds for poor craftsmanship.
We snapped The Gibson’s/Brixton’s Jewel Murray (left) going head to head with The Partisan's Julia Hurst. Julia went on to win and will compete in the finals in New York City. In good fun, some of the city’s best male bartenders stopped by The Howard Theatre. Trevor Frye, Rico Wisner and Glendon Hartley served as pink bandana-clad bar backs. To date, Speed Rack has raised more than $250,000 globally for breast cancer charities.
