Search for 2016’s Margarita of the Year

“Search for 2016’s Margarita of the Year” began on National Margarita Day February 22, and the winner will be announced in late April, in time for Cinco de Mayo.  Patrón, the global leader in the 100 percent agave ultra-premium tequila category has embarked on a pursuit to find margarita drinkers’ favorite style of this ubiquitous and often misunderstood classic cocktail.
Spicy. Smoky. Herbal. Tropical. There are countless styles of margaritas, and even more margarita recipes – ranging from classic to wildly inventive that contribute to the margarita’s place as one of the most popular cocktails in the world.
“On National Margarita Day, Cinco de Mayo, or any day, there is no specific style of margarita that’s the ‘right’ one. However, this world-class cocktail always deserves and equally world-class tequila. That’s why Patrón is so excited to celebrate and share in its rich history,” says Lee Applbaum, Patrón’s Global Chief Marketing Officer.
For Patrón’s “Search for 2016’s Margarita of the Year,” the company enlisted the help of seven top bartenders from across the U.S. and Mexico to create recipes for seven different styles of margaritas, reflecting their personal influences on what makes the ‪#‎PerfectMargarita‬ and also the local taste of their cities, culinary trends, and the history of the drink.
The recipes for the seven styles of margaritas – herbal, spicy, smoky, savory, modern, tropical and classic – can be found at MargaritaOfTheYear.com, where people can log in and cast a vote (once daily, through April 15) for their favorite. Consumers will also be invited to vote live at various Patrón-sponsored events over the coming months. The votes will be tallied and the three most popular styles of margaritas will then be showcased at a pre-Cinco de Mayo event in New York, where the winning “Margarita of the Year” will be crowned.
Earlier this year, Patrón brought together all of the participating bartenders to travel to the Hacienda Patrón distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, to prepare and perfect their inspired recipes.
“The history and evolution of the margarita is as fascinating as the drink itself, and it’s been exciting to see how the margarita has been re-imagined and interpreted in so many ways over the years,” says David Alan, Patrón’s Manager of Trade Education & Mixology. “The margarita is a unique drink, both rustically simple and extraordinarily versatile – a crowd-pleaser, yet not a one-taste-fits-all experience. Patrón’s ‘Search for 2016 Margarita of the Year’ brings all of this together in one place.”