Kristin Christie from The Gresham in Brisbane was named the winner of Speed Rack Australia on Sunday evening in the national finals held at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory. The high-speed cocktail competition has returned to Australia after a six-year hiatus, a move made possible thanks to a partnership with William Grant & Sons.
A line up of 12 finalists from across the country, went head-to-head in knock out rounds, making four classic cocktails as requested by the judging panel as quickly as possible.
The panel included Priscilla Leong, Shirley Yeung, Alicia Clarke and Sam Bygrave who judged the drinks each round on presentation, accuracy and flavour, adding time penalties for mistakes or poor execution.
In the final round, Christie competed against Melbounre’s Kayla Reid, securing the Speed Rack trophy and the opportunity to work with Rachael Barlett, National Monkey Shoulder Brand Ambassador, to craft a bespoke hospitality-related professional development package valued at $5000.
Speaking to The Shout on the night, Kristin said she was overwhelmed by the results.
“It feels insane. I really didn’t think I would win. My goal was to get to the state rounds and the fact that I kept getting through round after round is unbelievable. I just love competing and creating drinks so much,” she said.
With a deep passion for the hospitality industry, Kristin reflected on her rapid development and secured the win after only a year and a half behind the bar.
“I got a bar job to fill out my time and earn money between working on film sets as a make-up artist. I accidentally entered an in-house cocktail competition and completely fell in love. I have been going ever since. I’m new to this industry so it’s been such a whirlwind. I trained, I studied, and the fact that it all came together tonight is honestly amazing.
Extending a sincere thank you to The Gresham team, Christie said she couldn’t have done it without them.
“I love Brisbane. I really love The Gresham; they are my family and I’m just so grateful for everything. My icon is Millie [Tang] who also worked at there and won this competition so the fact that I did that too is so insanely cool to me,” she added.
With unstoppable energy and determination, Kristin says her goals are simple.
“I just want to keep improving, entering comps, have fun and keep bartending. Eventually I would also love to go overseas and travel while bartending too.”
A competition for women by women
Launched in New York in 2011 by industry legends Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, this women+ bartending competition that has become a global force for change in hospitality.
The duo created the program to celebrate and elevate women and femme-identifying bartenders in an industry long dominated by men.
The competition has raised over $1.85m dollars in the fight against breast cancer since its inception.
This year, in addition to spotlighting the country’s talent, Speed Rack Australia raised over $15,000 for breast cancer research, with all ticket proceeds going directly to Tour de Cure to help fund breakthrough breast cancer research projects.
The initiative underscores the founder’s and the industry’s commitment to making change both behind and beyond the bar.
Final round, Kristin and Kayla go head-to-head. Image supplied. 
Kristin at her station with finished drinks. Image supplied. 
Kristin crowned the winner. Image supplied. 
Speed Rack Australia Finalists. Image supplied. 
Kristin celebrates with the team after the win. Image supplied. 
Kristin Christie wins Speed Rack 2025. Image supplied.