Lynnette Marrero

Co-Founder of Speed Rack, MasterClass host, and award-winning bartender, Liquid Creative Director Aplós, Partner and Chief Mixologist, Delola  Partner & Beverage Director of Milly’s Neighborhood Bar; Co-Author of A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood

Lynnette Marrero is an award-winning bartender, educator, entrepreneur, and co-founder of all-femme high-speed bartending competition Speed Rack. Widely recognized as one of the industry's most influential leaders, she received Tales of the Cocktail's prestigious "Tales Visionary Award" in 2025, shortly after opening Milly's Neighborhood Bar in New York City, adding another chapter to a career defined by innovation, mentorship, and creating groundbreaking opportunities for the next generation of bartenders.

Her work with Speed Rack, which she co-founded with Ivy Mix in 2011, has become one of the most transformative forces in modern bartending. What began as a single high-speed competition celebrating women bartenders has evolved into a global movement now entering its 14th season, which has raised more than $1.85 million for breast cancer research and prevention while launching countless careers. The impact earned Lynnette and Ivy two 2019 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for "World's Best Bar Mentors" and the inaugural "Philanthropy Award," followed by The Pink Agenda's "Icon Award" in 2023 for their contributions to the fight against breast cancer.

In 2024, Lynnette co-authored A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood (April 2024) with Ivy Mix and Megan Krigbaum, which earned nominations for both the 2025 James Beard Media Awards and Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. The book distills over a decade of Speed Rack wisdom into practical techniques that democratize competitive bartending excellence for home enthusiasts.

But Lynnette's commitment to education extends beyond Speed Rack. Since 2022, she has served as Head of Education for Bar Convent Brooklyn, further cementing her role as one of the industry's most important teachers. And in March 2020, she launched the Masterclass Mixology platform, creating new pathways for aspiring bartenders to learn from industry leaders.

She has built a parallel track as an entrepreneur and brand partner, always seeking ways to bring craft cocktail expertise to broader audiences. In 2023, Lynnette launched Delola, a line of ready-to-enjoy craft spritzes in partnership with Jennifer Lopez. She serves as partner and Liquid Creative Director for non-alcoholic spirits company Aplós, and has worked as National Brand Mixologist for Perrier Sparkling Water and San Pellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverages. She even created the bar program for Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, proving that her expertise translates across unexpected contexts. 

Her bar programs have set standards for excellence across New York City. As Bar Director of Brooklyn hotspot Llama Inn and Greenwich Village's Llama San, she built a beverage program that earned a 2022 James Beard Foundation nomination for "Outstanding Bar Program." Earlier work as beverage director at Rye House brought Time Out Eat Out awards for "Best New Cocktail Bar" and "Best Bar Restaurant Hybrid." She has consistently placed in the top ranks of Drinks International's "Bar World 100" from 2019 through 2025, and was awarded the coveted "Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award" from The World's 50 Best Bars in 2021, recognizing her influence on peers worldwide. 

Before becoming one of the industry's most recognized leaders, Lynnette earned accolades that marked her ascent: Wine Enthusiast's "Mixologist of the Year" in 2016, Food & Wine and Fortune Magazine's "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink" in 2015, and recognition from the James Beard Foundation as one of "America's Leading Female Mixologists" in 2009. She has been honored on HOLA! Magazine's 100 Powerhouse Latina list, celebrating the most influential and inspiring Latinas.

Her entrepreneurial spirit extends to brand partnerships where she can shape product development and education. 

Earlier in her career, she shadowed a Zacapa Rum Master Blender in Guatemala and worked as a Rum Ambassador for Diageo; experiences that deepened her understanding of spirits production before she returned to New York to create Drinksat6, her own company dedicated to cultivating a new generation of cocktail bartenders and elevating restaurant bars, which she still operates today.