Watch Vancouver Bartenders Compete at El Tequileño Cocktail Competition, May 20th

The Tequila and Agave Festival is throwing down a serious challenge next week: On Tuesday, May 20th from 1-4pm, a crew of some of Vancouver’s sharpest bartenders will gather behind the bar at Cuchillo for the El Tequileño Reposado cocktail competition.

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The assignment: build a cocktail that captures the character of El Tequileño. Judges will be looking for balance, depth, originality, a strong story, and aroma (no “smoke and mirrors” here; the tequila’s gotta be the hero). Every shake, stir, or throw has six minutes to land four identical cocktails in front of the panel.

Bartenders stepping into the ring include:

- - • Coulter Noronha (Cuchillo)
    • Ivan Rodriguez (La Mezcaleria)
    • Jordan Coelho (The Watson)
    • Erick Vasquez (Chupito Coctelería)
    • Kalisha Glover (Published on Main
    • Maria Lizalde (Casa Molina)
    • Connor Joseph (Elisa Steak)
    • Melissa Brennan (Mount Pleasant Vintage)
    • Dario Guaglione (Ophelia Vancouver)
    Jason Cheung (Coast)

The stakes? A trip to the spiritual home of tequila! The winner will walk away with two roundtrip tickets to Guadalajara, plus three nights at the beautiful Casa Salles Hotel Boutique in Tequila, Mexico — right where El Tequileño has been crafted since 1959; where agave meets volcanic spring water, mango tree fermentation, and copper pot stills.

Judges will crown the competition champ at a brief ceremony at the Tequila and Agave Festival’s Trade Tasting event at the Italian Cultural Centre on Saturday, May 24th (4pm–6pm). That’s where you’ll want to be if you want to catch the win. However, tickets are going fast, so don’t wait on it. Score yours here.

Vancouver’s bar scene is packed with talent, and it’s always fun to see this kind of live creativity in competition mode where you can get a real-time look at how bartenders interpret culture, place, and spirit in a glass. With El Tequileño in the spotlight, this event celebrates not just skill, but legacy. Hitting Cuchillo as a warm up to the Tequila and Agave Festival on May 24th is a good way to pack in a little more tequila fuelled fun. And let’s be honest: we could all use an excuse to day-drink tequila on a Tuesday.