The Tahona Society Collective Spirit competition from Altos Tequila focuses on sustainability and social welfare and gives you an opportunity to change the industry forever.
And next week across Australia there will be info sessions on the competition followed by the Altos Tequila Very Happy Hour, hosted by Dre Masso, Altos Co-Founder and Global Brand Ambassador alongside Julio Bermejo, the creator of the Tommy’s Margarita.
The Collective Spirit competition is a bit different to many of the other competitions that we are used to, in that it’s not about creating a new drink, it’s about creating something new for the industry. You have the opportunity to create and launch a business concept that could change your bar, or the industry forever.
A finalist from both Australia and New Zealand will be announced in March 2023 and will be flown to Mexico in June 2023 to present at the Global finals. The winner will walk away with US$50,000 and one-year of mentoring from the Harvard Innovation Lab.
Dre said that while cocktail challenges are fun, they are often short-term and not very inclusive, so he and the Altos team had talked about how they could do something different with a competition and help bartenders think more about their business.
“One of the contestants will end up with a substantial prize to help kick start their idea, but at the same time everyone participating has a chance to develop themselves and their own project. Before and during the week of the finals in Mexico all of the competitors will have the opportunity for private and group sessions with experts in sustainability and business development.
“For me the most impressive aspect of the completion is seeing how all of the bartenders improve during the week of the finals in Mexico. On the last day we get to see them deliver Ted Talk-quality presentations that are often very emotional and inspiring.”
Alice Newport, Brand Specialist at Pernod-Ricard said: “Being able to bring something different to competition culture has been amazing. And working so closely with Dre, who started this competition has been lots of fun. I can’t wait to get to the events and start hearing about the ideas people have to enter.”
“I do think this style of competition is fantastic. So many people in this industry work tirelessly to create incredible businesses and have all these wonderful and creative ideas on how to make things more sustainable or just better – The Collective Spirit gives people the opportunity to do that.
“I am very excited to see what entries come out of Australia and New Zealand. We’re forward thinking market, from our hospitality, to drinks, to our actual thinking, and I think this will drive some amazing project concepts.”
The first Tahona Society Collective Spirit info session takes place from 4pm on Sunday, 15 January, at The Gresham Brisbane: spots are limited so contact altostequila@pernod-ricard.com to secure your spot.
And then there’s the Altos Tequila Very Happy Hour, with Dre and Julio behind the bar mixing up 2-4-1 cocktails from a very special menu. Other cities across the country will also be hosting events next week, see below for more details.
Other sessions are also taking place across Australia:
Altos Tequila Tahona Society Collective Spirit sessions
- Brisbane The Gresham January 15 4pm
- Sydney PS40 January 16 4pm
- Melbourne Mejico January 17 3pm
- Adelaide Cry Baby January 18 2pm
- Perth Mechanics’ Institute January 19 12pm
- Auckland COOPS January 22 4pm
- Wellington Hanging Ditch January 23 4pm
RSVP to altostequila@pernod-ricard.com confirming the city you’ll be attending.
See more about the competition in this video below: