• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Speed Rack Texas

    Houston bartender advances to national finals of prestigious all-female competition

    Eric Sandler
    Feb 22, 2017 | 9:41 am

    Sunday afternoon’s Speed Rack bartending competition may have started with a field of 19 competitors, but it became clear very early on that the crowd was rooting for Houston bartender Elyse Blechman contestant above all others. Each time she took the stage, she attracted bigger crowds and louder cheers than the other contenders.

     

    Thankfully, the attendees got their wish when Blechman (Tongue-Cut Sparrow) defeated San Antonio bartender Zulcoralis Rodriguez (The Esquire Tavern) to advance to the finals in New York.

     

    “I feel like a million dollars,” an elated Blechman told CultureMap shortly after her victory. “I feel proud for my city.”

     

    Now in its sixth year as a national event, Speed Rack is all-female bartending competition in which contestants aim to make four classic cocktails as quickly and accurately as possible, all while raising money for breast cancer charities. A panel of four judges grades each drink, issuing time penalties for errors. The fastest time wins.

     

    Although the event may fly under-the-radar of the average bar patron, it has attained prominence within the industry. A number of bartenders and bar owners attended the event as spectators, including Bobby Heugel (Anvil, etc), Alex Gregg (Moving Sidewalk), Justin Burrow (Bad News Bar), Lindsey Burleson (Grand Prize), Julie Lozano (Bayou & Bottle), Justin Lavenue (Austin's Roosevelt Room), Brad Moore (Grand Prize, The Honeymoon, etc), and Ben Baxter (Rose Gold). Others — including Lainey Collum (Yauatcha), Andy Mauer (Southern Glazer's), and Christa Havican (Kirby Ice House) — volunteered to work behind the scenes to help the contestants prepare for each round or at the sponsors' tables serving drinks.

     

    “I think (Speed Rack) gives people a good platform to have themselves be seen and acknowledged but also the ability to really be serious about something,” judge Jason Kosmos (founder of The 86 Co. spirits company and New York’s legendary bar Employees Only) told CultureMap. “That translates over time to other (professional pursuits).”

     

    Blechman spent months practicing for the event by hosting pop-up events at both Bad News Bars and Grand Prize where she would invite patrons to order four drinks from the Speed Rack-approved list of 50 classic cocktails for an eminently reasonable $25. As the competition drew near, Nobie’s bar manager Sarah Troxell joined Blechman at the practice sessions, which helped her come within seven seconds of making the finals, despite having only worked behind the bar for the last year or so (vote for her to be selected as a wild card here).

     

    “To always keep your cool. To always be one step ahead of failure. To make a mistake and be ok with it. To have a plan B, C, D, E,” Blechman said in response to a question about the benefits of all that practice. “Don’t practice to be perfect. Practice to be prepared.”

     

    In the final round, two of the judges asked the competitors to create original cocktails (“dealer’s choice”) based on certain flavors. Julep owner Alba Huerta, who won Speed Rack Texas in 2012, requested a "sessionable" cocktail with a low alcohol-by-volume, and judge Anne Louise Marquis ordered a “sweet, decadent, dessert-y” cocktail. Blechman did not incur any time penalties on these drinks, while Rodriguez had a critical 10 seconds added to her time.

     

    “I literally thought about what I would like to drink,” Blechman said about her approach to the dealer’s choice drinks. “Having (certain flavors) in mind, coming up with something on the fly, if you’re creative and you can respond to people’s requests in a bar every day, you can do it at Speed Rack. I just channeled that.”

     

    Blechman moves on to the final in New York City where she will compete against the other regional winners and wild cards selected by an online vote. Asked to explain what she likes about Speed Rack as opposed to other competitions in the bartending world, Blechman didn’t hesitate.

     

    “If Speed Rack does anything, it highlights the fact that you’re a woman and it makes sense to fight for things that are women-specific, but it really just creates this mindset that you are an equal, you are a badass, and you can accomplish whatever the fuck you want.”

    Judges Alba Huerta, Robin Nance, Jason Kosmos, Anne Louise Marquis, and host Chris Bostick.

    Speed Rack Texas 2017 judges Alba Huerta Jason Kosmos
      
    Photo by Photographs By Emily Jaschke
    Judges Alba Huerta, Robin Nance, Jason Kosmos, Anne Louise Marquis, and host Chris Bostick.
    fundraiserscocktails
    news/restaurants-bars

    Ready. Set. Go.

    Exclusive: New cocktail bar from Houston hospitality stars coming to the Heights

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 2, 2025 | 12:25 pm
    Bobby Heugel Jacki Schromm Ready Room
    Courtesy of Thorough Fare
    Bobby Heugel and Jacki Schromm are opening a new bar in the former Ready Room space.

    The Heights’ growing bar scene will soon welcome a new addition with serious cocktail cred. Anvil owner Bobby Heugel has partnered with bartender Jacki Schromm to open a new cocktail bar in the former Ready Room space (2626 White Oak Drive) in the Heights, the duo tell CultureMap.

    Slated to open in the fall, the still-unnamed cocktail bar will be the latest project from Thorough Fare, the hospitality company Heugel operates in partnership with James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu. The group’s portfolio also includes Heights restaurants Squable and Better Luck Tomorrow; cocktail bars Anvil and Refuge; neighborhood bars Catbirds and Blue Lagoon Club; and Theodore Rex, Yu’s fine dining restaurant in downtown that earned a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide.

    The new bar will also be Heugel’s first new concept since opening Refuge in 2022. However, since Refuge evolved out of Tongue-cut Sparrow, Heugel’s Japanese-inspired cocktail bar, it retained certain elements from its predecessor. The new project aims to bring a fresh perspective to Houston’s cocktail scene.

     Bobby Heugel Jacki Schromm Ready Room The new bar is expected to open this fall.Courtesy of Thorough Fare

    “While I love Refuge and still think it’s one of the best bars we’ve ever done, it was a continuation of some disjointed history,” Heugel says. “It’s exciting to do a cocktail bar where we get to talk about a fresh concept, fresh ideas — really update those ideas for where the scene is at today.”

    Partnering with Schromm is a key source of those new ideas, Heugel explains. Since moving to Houston from Boston in 2019, she worked with Heugel at both Better Luck Tomorrow and Anvil. Currently, she’s the general manager of Reserve 101, the downtown cocktail bar known for its extensive whiskey selection, knowledgeable staff, and extensive inventory of vintage spirits. Schromm describes Heugel’s invitation to partner with him as “a shock in the most delightful way.”

    “I think it’s every bartender’s dream — when you’ve worked in X amount of spaces with X amount of owners — you start to think, I could do this,” she says. “I thought that was still five-plus years away. We’re jumping into it maybe a little sooner than what my goals were, but it’s incredibly exciting.”

    First opened by restaurateur Ken Bridge in 2018, the Ready Room distinguished itself with its intimate atmosphere, vintage decor, and live music. Permission Whiskey owner Peter Nolan took over operating the bar in 2023. The bar closed last year when Bridge shuttered his Korean restaurant Mapojeong, ending his lease on the property that also includes Ready Room. Neither Heugel nor Schromm are ready to share specifics about the bar’s concept, but Schromm promises it will be a welcome addition to the Heights.

    “What this cocktail bar will become is something that we don’t have in the Heights yet,” she says. “I think it will be a really fun and exciting addition to the Heights community.”

    Schromm has about a month left at Reserve 101 before she devotes her full attention to the new bar. She’s eager to make a splash in a neighborhood that’s recently welcomed new additions like Starduster Lounge and The Kid — and she recognizes how meaningful it is to work with a partner who has a track record as solid as Heugel’s.

    “It does not sit lightly with me. This is an incredible opportunity,” Schromm says. “I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling from the moment that we talked about it. It’s a really rewarding feeling to be recognized like that. Just feeling really blessed and grateful.”

    news-you-can-eatopeningsthe-heightscocktailsnightlife
    news/restaurants-bars

    most read posts

    Houston will have vivid sunsets and air quality issues from Saharan dust

    This Houston suburb had the highest apartment rent prices in June

    Houston influencer opens an antiques-filled boutique hotel in Montrose

    Loading...