Industry Night: The Women Who Changed the Bar World: Ivy Mix & Lynnette Marrero of Speed Rack

On this episode of Industry Night, Nycci Nellis sits down with two of the most influential leaders in the global cocktail community, Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, the powerhouse duo behind Speed Rack, the groundbreaking all-female bartending competition that has helped reshape the bar industry.
What started as a bold idea to create visibility for women behind the bar has grown into a global movement. Now in its 14th season, Speed Rack has hosted more than 120 competitions around the world, launched countless bartending careers, and raised over $1.85 million for breast cancer research and prevention.
Nycci has known Ivy and Lynnette since the early days of Speed Rack,  even judging one of the first competitions when it came to Washington, DC. In this lively conversation, they look back at how the cocktail world has evolved over the past decade, the barriers women once faced in the industry, and how mentorship, community, and advocacy have helped transform the landscape.
The conversation also dives into their individual journeys and the many ways they continue to shape the future of hospitality. Ivy Mix is an award-winning bartender, author of Spirits of Latin America, and co-owner of Brooklyn’s Whoopsie Daisy Lynnette Marrero, a Tales of the Cocktail Visionary Award winner, is an educator, entrepreneur, and partner in Milly’s Neighborhood Bar, and has spent her career building innovative bar programs and mentoring the next generation of industry leaders.
Together they discuss the evolution of Speed Rack, the importance of creating opportunities in hospitality, and what the future of the cocktail world looks like.
Plus, Nycci puts them through a few rapid-fire questions at the end — because no Industry Night would be complete without a little fun behind the bar.
Pour yourself a drink and join the conversation. Listen to the full episode here and watch it here.