Ivy Mix

Ivy Mix is an award-winning bartender, industry leader, bar owner and entrepreneur. She is the co-owner of Whoopsie Daisy and Fiasco! in Brooklyn, New York, an author of two. books, and the co-founder of Speed Rack, the femme high-speed bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer research. Most recently named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for "Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service," Ivy has spent two decades proving that exceptional craft and meaningful advocacy can amplify each other, reshaping what it means to be a force in the spirits industry. She has consistently placed in the top ranks of Drinks International’s “Bar World 100” (2019-2025), been named Wine Enthusiast’s "Mixologist of the Year" (2016), and received "American Bartender of the Year" at the 2015 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

In 2023, she and Lynnette Marrero received The Pink Agenda's "Icon Award" for their tireless work supporting breast cancer research through Speed Rack, which had already been recognized with two 2019 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for "World's Best Bar Mentors" and "Philanthropy." What began as a single competition has evolved into a global movement that has raised more than $1.85 million for charitable organizations and created a platform that has launched countless careers. Now entering its 14th season, Speed Rack has fundamentally shifted the industry's conversation about who belongs behind the bar and what excellence looks like.

Ivy’s latest book, A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood (April 2024), coauthored with Marrero and Megan Krigbaum, earned nominations for the 2025 James Beard Media Awards and Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. A Quick Drink translates Speed Rack's ethos of speed, precision, and uncompromising quality into something home bartenders can actually use, democratizing techniques that have defined competitive bartending excellence.

Ivy's mastery of Latin American spirits has made her the definitive voice on agave distillation and other Latin American spirits . Her 2020 debut book, Spirits of Latin America, won the 2021 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for "Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits" alongside an IACP Award. Esquire named it one of the "Best Cocktail Books of 2020," confirming what the industry already knew: she had written the essential text on the subject, drawing on the deep understanding she developed during years living and working in Latin America after serving her first cocktail in Guatemala at 19.

Her bars tell the story of someone committed to both excellence and community. In March 2021, she partnered with wine expert Conor McKee and beverage director Piper Kristensen to open FIASCO! Wine and Spirits, an Imbibe 75 "Place to Watch" that champions small and independent producers in Crown Heights. Exactly three years later, Whoopsie Daisy opened less than a block away, deepening her commitment to making exceptional, thoughtfully sourced beverages accessible to their neighborhood. And then there's Leyenda, the award-winning Brooklyn bar she operated for a decade which set the standard for honoring Latin American spirits traditions while pushing cocktail innovation forward. Sadly, they shut their shut their doors after 10 years in 2025.

Selected Accolades

• Semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service for the James Beard Awards,, 2026

• Leyenda semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program for the James Beard Awards, 2019 | 2018 | 2025

• A Quick Drink named official nominee for James Beard Media Awards for Book with Beverages with Recipes 2025

• Semifinalist for A Quick Drink for Tales of the Cocktails’ Spirited Awards, 2025

• Semifinalist for VinePair’s Drinks Professional of the Year, 2024

• Honored by the PINK Agenda with their Icon Award for her work in Speed Rack, 2023

• Spirits of Latin America wins AICP Award for Best Book in Wine, Beer or Spirits, 2021

• Spirits of Latin America wins Best New Book on Drinks Culture, History, or Spirits at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, 2021

• World’s Best Bar Mentor at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, 2019

• Philanthropy Award at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, 2019

• Wine Enthusiast’s Mixologist of the Year, 2016

• American Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, 2015

• Named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Most Innovative Women, 2015

• Semi-Finalist Forbes 30 under 30 in Food and Wine, 2013 | 2014

• Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40, 2013

• Imbibe Magazine’s Drink Ambassador of the Year, 2013

• Official nominee for Best American Bartender at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, 2012 | 2013 | 2014

• Zagat’s 30 under 30 New York City, 2012

• First recipient of Tony Abou-Ganim’s Helen David Humanitarian Award, 2012

• Honored by SHARE Cancer Support for her work within the Breast Cancer Community, 2012