Congratulations to the ten Australian finalists for PATRÓN Perfectionists

Bec Bayley from Before + After, Brisbane and her cocktail Folktale

Congratulations to the ten Australian finalists for PATRÓN Perfectionists

Over the last couple of months PATRÓN Perfectionists presented an exciting bartender education and engagement program and in return the bartenders of Australia have delivered! 152 inspired bartenders submitted their PATRÓN Perfectionists entry and the quality is impressive.

The entry challenge, called Hometown Hero, required entrants to develop a cocktail that blends PATRÓN Silver tequila with the bartender’s local culture, using ingredients from a prescribed list, the Pantry. The initial entry submissions will be judged on appeal, appearance, inspiration, and originality.

Joey Chisholm, PATRÓN Tequila Execution Manager said “This year’s competition called for bartenders to hero PATRÓN Silver along with a local ingredient that was close to their heart and we were blown away with the quality of entries! We had 152 entries from all over Australia and every single one of them was amazing – a true testament to the quality of bartenders in Australia. Following two long days of judging the top ten were selected and I believe it’s the strongest field of bartenders Australia has seen. We are excited by a great mix of old dogs and exciting young rookies.”

“This year’s competition called for bartenders to hero PATRÓN Silver along with a local ingredient that was close to their heart and we were blown away with the quality of entries! We had 152 entries from all over Australia and every single one of them was amazing…” – Joey Chisholm, PATRÓN Tequila Execution Manager

Congratulations to the ten bartenders moving through to the final challenges of the PATRÓN Perfectionists:

  • Alex Boon of Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oyster, Melbourne, and his cocktail ‘Frankie’
  • Andie Bulley of Savile Row, Brisbane, and her cocktail ‘Koumala’
  • Bec Bayley of Before + After, Brisbane and her cocktail ‘Folktale’
  • Chris Tilley of Neon Palms & Volare Bar, Perth, and his cocktail ‘Hyding In The Gums’
  • Etien Celzner of Rude boy, Hobart and his entry ‘K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid)’
  • Haadee Bahar of Mimi’s & Will’s, Sydney, and his cocktail ‘Silver Lining’
  • Kayla Reid of Nick & Nora’s, Melbourne, and her entry ‘Delicate Duality’
  • Martin McConnell of Frogs Hollow Saloon, Brisbane and his creation ‘Petrichor’
  • Storm Evans of Cantina OK!, Sydney his creation ‘A1’
  • Talis Heggart of Shotgun Willie’s & Memphis Slim’s House of Blues, Adelaide, and his creation ‘Abuela Margaret’

The top ten finalists will now present their entry challenge cocktail in addition to another challenge at the next round of judging in Sydney during early November.  The Australian winner will go on to compete against another 18 countries and cruise liners will take part in the much-coveted global finals experience taking place at Hacienda PATRÓN, Mexico, in March 2023. During the global finals, bartenders will undertake a new series of challenges, testing each part of a bartender’s skillset.

Talis Heggart from Shotgun Willie’s & Memphis Slim’s House of Blues, Adelaide, Cocktail – Abuela Margaret

The PATRÓN Perfectionists celebration party and winner’s announcement will take place on Wednesday 9th November in Sydney.

Joseph Chisholm – PATRÓN Tequila Execution Manager –  jchisholm@bacardi.com

Alex Godfrey – PATRÓN Brand Ambassador – agodfrey@spiritspecialist.com.au