Tong, of Lotus Lounge, Ghangzou won the competition with her ‘Dancing Bees’ cocktail, beating six other finalists in Mexico.
“The Patrón Perfectionists cocktail competition has been so exciting,” said Tong. “I’ve been dreaming about seeing real agave and my dream has come true.
“I’m so excited to have won, and can’t wait to go back to China and tell my family. Perfection comes from the heart, it’s passion and it’s doing what we love, winning the competition has given me so much confidence to keep going and do something special as a bartender.”
In the final of the competition, the bartenders recreated their heat-winning cocktails in front of a panel of judges including; Lee Applbaum, Patrón’s chief marketing officer; David Rodriguez, Patrón’s director of operation; Simon Difford, editor of Difford’s Guide; and Stephanie Quiles, editor of Buena Masa.
Applbaum said: “The Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition has gone from strength to strength and taking it global has been a huge success.
“This year we had over 1,200 entrants from around the world, bringing new talent to the competition, making judging incredibly tough.
“Each competitor brought their own interpretation of perfection, demonstrating the true versatility of Patrón. Li Tong is a worthy champion, I am incredibly excited to see what she will do this year as a true advocate for Patrón.”
Li’s winning cocktail, ‘Dancing Bees’, is a combination of Patrón Reposado tequila, yellow Chartreuse, chamomile yuzu shrub, Monin passionfruit syrup, and lime, topped with soda water.
Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition is an inaugural event, launched in the UK in 2015. It expanded internationally in 2016 to 7 countries and the latest the competition expanded to 19 countries including South Korea and Israel.
