rooms used to host bartenders from around the world to be immersed in
the Patrón brand. The intent is to have them take their newfound love
and knowledge of Patrón tequila back to their own corner of the earth.
Which brings our Tequila Patrón story to Whitehart – one of
Melbourne’s most impressive watering holes housed in a discarded
shipping container. I’ve been invited to be one of three judges of the
2017 Patrón Perfectionists competition. The event seeks to find the
year’s best tequila cocktail (entry, of course, requires the use of
Patrón) and the bartender behind it.
It’s here that I’m to meet Lee Applbaum, the Chief Marketing Officer
of the brand, and the guy most responsible for taking Patrón to the
pantheon of global cool over the last few years.
Appearance, taste, drinkability and presentation
are our scoring metrics. Finalists prepared their
cocktails with trembling hands, indicating how
important the competition was to them.
Applbaum was looking for something
he could take to the world stage, so David
Robinson, a mixologist and owner of Hot
Tamale bar in Darwin, whose creation spoke
to the Northern Territory’s climate but also to
the influence of Indonesian flavours, was picked
for its uniqueness.
Later, and mind you six tequila cocktails in,
I sat with Applbaum to discuss the secret of the
brand’s success. “Twenty seven years ago,” says
Applbaum, “you had these small artisanal producers in Mexico but
nothing in the US or the rest of the world. We sought to transform that.”
Applbaum is excited by the opportunity that Australia holds and
thinks the nation’s drinkers are ready to rise to the Patrón challenge.
“One of the things that I think is very special about Australia,” hesays,
“is that it had an early understanding of the importance of ingredients
and process. Look at the coffee culture in this country or the food
and culinary movement.
“It’s in part down to Australia’s psyche – it’s a very positive one.
We talk about this energy of our spirit, it’s tequila, it’s Mexico,
it’s warm, it’s inviting and it’s very positive. It’s just like yours.”
I ask Applbaum if that’s the challenge for
a brand like Patrón, to keep the legacy of
tequila alive, while driving brand stories and
craftsmanship that elevates it to the echelon of
luxury? “When we view our consumers we have
the Bros and the Knows,” he enthuses, “For the
Bros it’s all about badge value and swagger. The
Knows are exactly what you think – focused on
the back-story, on integrity and sustainability.
But the truth is nobody really is one or the other.
The Bros want to be smart and Knows still want
that value badge. So everybody wins. We’re very
serious about what we do, but we don’t take
ourselves too seriously. At the end of the day,
it’s still tequila, man!” n patrontequila.com“We talk
about this
energy of
our spirit,
it’s tequila,
it’s Mexico.”
CLOCKWISE
FROM LE FT:
The town of
Atotonilco Alto;
various shots from
inside the distillery;
entrance to
the Hacienda.MEN OF THE YEAR 2017 GQ.COM.AU 87