What constitutes the perfect drink? What qualities comprise the perfect bartender?
PATRÓN has posed that question to cocktail professionals around the world vying for a chance to win the 2023 PATRÓN Perfectionists competition. The annual competition invites bartenders to showcase their skills in the pursuit of perfectionism, culminating in a final competition and celebration at Hacienda PATRÓN, the brand’s sprawling estate and distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, in March 2023.
“This is about becoming the complete bartender,” says PATRÓN global manager of program excellence Lauren Mote. “It’s not just about the drink; it’s about hospitality, your teammates, [and] great ingredients.”
The 2022 program has evolved to include a dedicated education program called Academia PATRÓN Perfectionists, which offers three virtual sessions and workshops hosted by leading professionals from the food and beverage industry as well as additional educational opportunities hosted in select markets. Bartenders who enter the PATRÓN Perfectionists competition will have access to these sessions — focusing on flavors, trends, and techniques — designed to offer inspiration, support, and professional growth as they prepare for the competition.
Of course, at the core of the PATRÓN Perfectionists competition is the pursuit of a perfect cocktail. The 2023 entry challenge, called Hometown Hero, asks entrants to create a cocktail that embodies each bartender’s local culture. Using PATRÓN Silver tequila with a prescribed list of ingredients (dubbed “The Pantry”), bartenders meticulously develop a drink that tastes of home — and tastes delicious. The initial entry submissions are judged across a range of categories including originality, inspiration, appeal, and appearance.
Although PATRÓN has become practically synonymous with Mexico (all of its 100% Weber Blue Agave is grown and distilled in Jalisco), the PATRÓN Perfectionists competition is a global affair. Nineteen countries and cruise liners are taking part in the 2023 competition, and the virtual session offers a chance for additional countries all over the world to participate. From the Hometown Hero entries, PATRÓN selects a shortlist of 10 bartenders. Further narrowing the pool is serious business, pitting skilled bartenders against one another in a variety of topics and challenges, with national finals due to take place throughout November and December. The bartenders’ cumulative scores across the challenges will determine the national winner in each market. For the first time ever, PATRÓN has also expanded finalists to include a special Wild Card Entry selected by a global judge. Come March, all national winners plus the Wild Card winner will attend the finals at Hacienda PATRÓN, undertaking a new series of challenges designed to test all facets of a bartender’s skillset.
Earlier this year, PATRÓN crowned its 2022 PATRÓN Perfectionists winner, Sydney, Australia-based bartender Harrison Kenney. His cocktail, Teal, paired PATRÓN Silver tequila with surprising ingredients like celery juice, kiwi, and drops of vanilla-infused extra virgin olive oil for a vivid and verdant cocktail. The concoction is smooth and easily drinkable yet complex. In a word, it’s perfect.
A tireless dedication to perfection is nothing new for PATRÓN, which uses high-quality ingredients to make small-batch tequila by hand, an approach the brand has used since its inception in 1989. Technically, the brand has achieved perfection, too: it was named the World’s No. 1 super-premium tequila*. As such, the PATRÓN Perfectionists competition requires entrants to have an unwavering commitment to quality — the same quality that goes into every drop of PATRÓN.
*Source: IWSR 2020 Global Database
This article is sponsored by PATRÓN.
