Jose Cuervo names Dons of Tequila finalists

Jose Cuervo has chosen the 17 bartenders who will compete in the grand final of the inaugural Dons of Tequila cocktail competition.

Laura Duca, of UAE, is one of 17 bartenders who will compete in the Jose Cuervo Dons of Tequila global final

The finalists will go head to head for the chance to win a trip to the Jose Cuervo distillery in La Rojeña, Tequila, Mexico, where they will be given the chance to harvest their own crop of agave on the Jose Cuervo estate, blend it into their very own Tequila which will be batched and labelled under their own name.

Spanning countries all over the world, the 17 finalists are Clément Maucuit, of France; Erica Rossi, of Italy; Andy Walch, of Switzerland; Lee Daniel Hobbs, of Germany; Lefteris Petrogeorgakis, of Greece; Laura Duca, of UAE; Thiago Sanchez, of Brazil; John Anderson Bautista, of Colombia; Jair Rosas, of Peru; Ariel Rosario, of Puerto Rico; Nicolas Lamborizzio, of Argentina; Edwin Arenas, of Chile; Angelica Castro, of Philippines; Tessa Kerslake, of New Zealand; Sung-Min Park, of Korea; Koji Esashi, of Japan; and Stefanos Athanasiou, of Cyprus.

Becoming a Don of Tequila is the ultimate accolade, fit only for the very best,” said Juan-Domingo Beckmann, Jose Cuervo CEO.

“We are excited to see how the bartenders fare in what is bound to be a tough final.”

The group of finalists will be put through a series of challenged where a panel of expert judges will determine their “passion, grit and cojones” to decide the next Don of Tequila.

Jose Cuervo’s Dons of Tequila competition is part of a long-term education platform, at the heart of which sits the Dons website providing a “definitive resource” on the brand.