[:en]Patrón tequila postpones the Perfectionists Cocktail Competition to 2021[:]

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Due to the Covid-19 emergency, this year Patrón tequila will not launch the sixth edition of the Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition and the related activities of the competition's Advocacy program. Faced with the current situation, the brand's intrinsic interest in protecting the health of the bartender community and providing it with continuous support led to the decision to postpone the competition to 2021. The well-being and safety of all individuals involved in the competition, from participants to collaborators, are the top priority for Patrón.

Over the last six years, the continuous growth of the Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition has led to the consolidation of a large and close-knit network of bartenders who, despite coming from different parts of the world, consider themselves part of the Patrón family. Providing inspiration and help to these professionals has always been a core value for the brand. In light of the effects that the recent global crisis has had on the sector, Patrón has renewed this commitment and is focusing its energies on plans to support bars and restaurants.

At a time when the bartender community needs help and strength more than ever, Patrón has used digital and social platforms to bring Perfectionists together to interact, share their experiences and support each other to continue being creative. An example of this is the #PatrónPantryChallenge launched at the end of March on the initiative of the Canadian finalist Jared Schmidt. Jared challenged his colleagues and classmates from the 2019/2020 group to create and share cocktails made with their home ingredients. These creations were shared on social media and collected in a special section of the Difford's Guide mixology platform. The challenge then progressively evolved into a collaboration with Difford's Guide to respond to the needs and requests of the wider Perfectionists community through weekly sessions that allowed the creative spirit and initiatives of these bartenders to be nourished during the lockdown period. The #PatrónPantryChallenge will soon see a further evolution with an e-commerce development starting in the United Kingdom, where consumers will be able to purchase bundles of ingredients on Amazon to create simple and tasty cocktail recipes invented by Patrón Perfectionists finalists.

Adrian Parker, Global Vice President, Marketing for Patrón tequila, Bacardi Global Brands Limited, commented, “The well-being of the global Patrón family is our top priority. The current situation requires new measures in order to support our industry and our community, and these will be our focus in the year ahead. Postponing Perfectionists is the most appropriate decision in order to respect the safety and health regulations implemented by the different countries from which our participants and collaborators come. While we will not have a competition this year, we remain a close-knit community and will remain true to our commitment to the industry to help those who have served us thus far.”

Matthew Sykes, Senior Director, Global Marketing for Patrón and founder of the Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition, added, “Patrón Perfectionists was launched with the aim of forming a community of bartenders who with creativity and passion could push the boundaries of tequila-based mixed drinks and demonstrate the qualities of this spirit to consumers from all over the world. We are grateful for the number of incredible personalities and bartenders who have become part of our Patrón family and their contribution to raising the quality of the cocktail experience for consumers. Our mission and dedication remain unchanged, and during this time we will work to support the Perfectionists in our global network.”

 During 2020 Patrón tequila will continue to work in support of the horeca sector affected by the COVID crisis, starting from the broader #RaiseYourSpirits program of the Bacardi Group which has seen the allocation of 4 million dollars in activities to benefit the industry worldwide.

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