Based on the glowing feedback from previous years, it would be easy, understandable even, for Lauren Mote and the bright minds behind the PATRÓN Perfectionists programme to pat themselves on the back and congratulate themselves on a job well done. But no. Each year they come up with genius ways to make it bigger, better and even more beneficial for the participants than ever.
Take the recent 2023/2024 programme for example. From the outset, engagement with the bar community was key. 5,000 participants took part in the PATRÓN Perfectionists programme and 17 global finalists were selected to represent their respective countries at Hacienda PATRÓN, with support and resources available to them ramped up to the max.
Most notably this was accessed through the super cool new mentorship initiative which took in a series of webinars and educational resources. But being PATRÓN, these weren’t any old webinars, they were indispensable sessions provided by esteemed mentors, some of whom also joined the global final as judges. We’re talking the calibre of industry stalwarts Gina Barbachano, co-owner and general manager of Hanky Panky, Mexico City; Deano Moncrieffe, founder of Hacha bar and creator of the award-winning Mirror Margarita, London; Julio Cabrera, maestro Cantinero and owner of Café La Trova, Miami and Matt Whiley, founder of RE, Sydney on hand with their bartending specialisms.
Danil Nevsky, founder of Indie Bartender and co-founder of Broken Bartender, Barcelona was part of the line-up too, advising on presenting skills; Mor Koral, 2023-2024 PATRÓN Perfectionists global winner and founder of Salt & Spirit, Tel Aviv giving her first-hand experience on the competition itself; Eileen Wayner, CEO of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, and Chef and owner of the two-Michelin starred restaurant Story, Story Cellar and Dovetale, London, sharing his insights and experiences as a culinary storyteller. Additional resources were provided by PATRÓN Brand Ambassadors and partners around the world, and global contributors such as Portland-based photographer, author, cocktail and content creator Jordan Hughes, best known for his Instagram accounts @highproofpreacher and @cocktailcamera.
“The advice we had from the mentors pre- global finals was invaluable – not just for the competition but going forward in our careers,” this year’s PATRÓN Perfectionist global winner Nathan Price from Burnt Milk in Liverpool, UK, and the third global winner from the UK confirmed. “Each one of the mentors focused on a particular subject,” he continues. “Mor’s was obviously about her experience as a competitor and winning, as well the various things she implemented and worked on to be the best that she possibly could be. Chef Tom Sellers’ was focused on creating stories around food, so he really leaned into that and the story side of things. Deano spoke about agave and everything around the community, Mexico and the plant itself. Jordan’s session was about capturing content for Instagram work and again, that was really interesting. Danil focused on storytelling but in a different way. He enlightened and advised on the Pecha-Kucha format, which I hadn’t heard of before. It’s where you present 20 slides and each slide changes automatically after 20 seconds, so your slides have correspond with what you’re talking about. It keeps the presentation nice and snappy and very disciplined. I took a lot away from that, which ultimately benefitted me in the global final.”
As did the guidance and support from the brand ambassadors. Nathan was full of praise for Gianluca Pavanello Canella, UK National Brand Ambassador at PATRÓN: “He’s an exceptional brand ambassador, he’s really supportive and gives you drive and really pushes you to be the best you can be,” he enthused.
But back to the global finals and how the mentoring sessions came into their own. The first challenge, The PATRÓN Paloma Show, was where the bartenders could draw on the agave specific and ace insider tips they’d picked up from Deano, Gina, Matt, Julio, Chef Tom, Jordan and Danil. Their mission? To devise a new, original PATRÓN Reposado Paloma recipe ahead of the event.
However, that was only part of it. And this is where Danil’s Pecha-Kucha know-how came into play: they then had to present their drinks in the 20 slides x 20 seconds format. “It took a lot of practice, but I really liked it,” Nathan recalls. “Thanks to Danil’s session, I was able to showcase my Perfectionists journey in a really clean, concise way.”
Next was the PATRÓN x Sellers’ Market Challenge. The clue to this challenge is in its name… “We were given the equivalent of £30 in Mexican Pesos, were taken to a market in Guadalajara and spent a couple of hours selecting two or more local ingredients to build a serve around PATRÓN Silver,” Nathan explains. “For this, I really leaned into what Chef Tom Sellers told us about working in the moment and being inspired by the situation you’re in. For example, maybe you originally had one idea but actually, once you’re in a particular place, at a particular time, you feel very different. So that’s what I did – I chose my ingredients based on how I was feeling right there, at that time.”
And it worked. Big style. Nathan was the top choice with all of the judges. As Julio Cabrera confirmed: “There were many outstanding bartenders at the latest PATRÓN Perfectionists global final. But we weren’t just looking for a great cocktail. It was also about the level of attention to detail; the ability to bring the story to life and present it in an engaging way, being a great host and involving all of the senses. It was about showing the most perfect version of yourself. Nathan was truly impressive in this sense and ticked all the boxes, from designing great quality cocktails that showed his level of dedication, creativity and innovation, to the way he captured us all through his presentation skills.” Mor Koral concurred. “Nathan has a charming personality; he’s very approachable, takes his craft very seriously but doesn’t take himself too seriously. We had really good times together between the challenges and I think he will be a great contributor to the PATRÓN programming in this upcoming year.”
Nathan may have been the overall winner but each challenge had an individual victor. For The Paloma Show that went to Billy Ranchez, representing the Philippines and for the PATRÓN x Sellers’ Market Challenge that accolade went to Maria Fernanda Rodriguez, representing Mexico.
Of the PATRÓN Perfectionists global final more generally, the judges had plenty to say. Including Eileen Wayner: “The PATRÓN Perfectionists global finals represented to me what investing in the development of bartenders really looks like,” she began. “The individuals that participated in the competition hailed from numerous countries and each came with distinct interest, skill and passion. This programme and competition, and the experience leading up to the globals, offered resources, networking opportunities, skill-building and a truly singular experience that was very well received by all competitors and judges alike. Representing a cross-section of this industry, I feel confident that the future for the bartender community is very bright.”
Danil Nevsky summed both the competition and Nathan’s part in it perfectly: “In the context of a global final you have different nationalities and cultures coming together and everyone has a perception of you as a human, based on how behave within the group. Some people open up immediately and come across in a positive way, winning the public over, while others take more time. One of the beautiful things that happened at the PATRÓN Perfectionists global final is that the person who won the competition was also already the human champion. Nathan was both the foundational rock within the group in terms of camaraderie, in terms of being a team player, as well as the competition champion. When Nathan’s name was called out everyone cheered and supported that, and that can only happen when everyone is in the same mindset, when a real community is formed.”
And that is PATRÓN Perfectionists in a nutshell.
The final word goes to Lauren Mote, Global Director of On-Trade Excellence for PATRÓN tequila: The PATRÓN Perfectionists global finals were testament to the importance of education, networking, and mentorship in our industry. The finalists and guests who joined us at our home, Hacienda PATRÓN, share our same dedication to crafting the highest-quality flavors and experiences and we were are humbled to see how both bartenders and mentors related to these values. The week was a springboard for new opportunities and I look forward to seeing how these connections between the participants will develop in the future as part of our PATRÓN advocacy programming. Congratulations to all the finalists, our challenge winners – Billy Ranchez and Maria Fernanda Rodriguez – and to Nathan!”
And last but by no means least, let’s hear it for the PATRÓN Perfectionists global finalists 2024
- Storm Evans, Australia @stormevanss
- Gianluca Passuello, Canada @impassu8
- Louis Schofield, France @louistouki
- Freddie Schefferski, Germany & Austria @freddifamoso
- Ruby Roo, Israel @piiiiimizot
- Simone Broglia, Italy @imbroglia
- Maria Fernanda Mendez, Mexico @fer.mentation_
- Billy Ranchez, Philippines @billyranchez
- Kristina Tubig, Philippines @kristinatubig_
- Michel Alves, Spain & Portugal @michelalves_
- Josh JJ Hendricks, South Africa @thebitterslinger
- Mauro Cortese, UAE @mauro_cortese_87
- Nathan Price, UK @nayprice_
- Jesus Verde, US Central @jesusverde
- Gustavo Rodriguez, US East @megustamixology
- Joseph Arakawa, USA West @thatguyjoe808
- Ashleigh Hehmann, USA West, Wildcard winner @manicattackvintage
