There's a whole lotta shaking going on as Speed Rack Southwest, a women's only bartending competition, returns to Denver on Sunday, March 26, at The Church. Twenty of the west region's best and fastest female bartenders will compete for a chance at the national competition in May and help raise money for charity.

Contestants from the southwest region will compete in timed heats to make rounds of cocktails, culled from a list of 50 accepted industry-standard clissic recipes. Contenders come from several states including Arizona, California, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada, Missouri and New Mexico. Colorado contenders are:

Whitney Allen, Williams & Graham
Heather J. Haas, RiNo Yacht Club
Alex Jump, RiNo Yacht Club
Nicole Laurita, Occidental, Williams and Graham
Haylee Ortiz, Mister Tuna,
Becky Rose, Union Lodge No. 1
Rona VanSlyck, Linger, Pizza Republica
Jennifer Wahl, The Arvada Tavern
Brittany Wangsness, B&GC
Jessica Wilkinson, Euclid Hall

They will perform in front of a panel of judges and a crowd of excited viewers. Judges rate each drink based on prep time and accuracy. The judging panel at Denver's Speed Rack will include some the best cocktail makers in the biz:  Alex Day (Death & Co.) Sean Kenyon (Williams & Grahams, Occidental), Charlotte Voisey (William Grant & Sons), Pam Wiznitzer (USBG). Co-founder of Ford's Gin Simon Ford and Auchentoshan Scotch's National Brand Ambassador Robin Nance will emcee the evening with music from DJ Dan Grund. 

Speed Rack will be held in six cities across the nation with the finals happening in New York on May 21. Grand prize for the bartenders is an educational trip to the Jameson Distillery in Ireland and the Altos Distillery in Arandas, Mexico. 

Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door with proceeds going to breast cancer charities around the US and abroad. Cocktails will also be served for donations. Tickets are available on the website or through the Facebook page. 

Speed Rack was created by acclaimed bartenders and industry ambassadors Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix who have received Wine Enthusiast's 2016 Wine Star Award for "Mixologists of the Year." Denver is one of the last regionals. Other cities that held competitions include Boston, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Chicago. 

Event Date: 03/26
Event Time: 3-7 PM
Location: The Church
Price: $25 per person
Type: Charity,Cocktails
Website: www.speed-rack.com/