Collaborations are always exciting. There is a certain type of magic when two entities come together to form a third that is in a class of its own. That is exactly what happened when Patrón, one of the world’s most-recognized spirits, and Lalique, one of the crown jewels of France’s crystal industry and a timeless symbol of French luxury, teamed up to create the limited edition Patrón en Lalique: Serie 1.
This is the first time that Patrón has worked with a crystal maker to reimagine the iconic Patrón bottle and the first time Lalique has designed a bottle for a tequila brand (they have previously collaborated with luxury brands, artists, and designers). The first-of-its-kind exclusive collaboration was unveiled in the Philippines on August 26th at the Lalique boutique in Rustan’s Makati.
The limited edition crystal decanter, handmade by Lalique’s master artisans (who used their signature technique of contrasting clear and frosted crystal finishes to showcase its perfect detail and enhance the unique amber color of the tequila) took inspiration from the Weber Blue Agave plant from which tequila is made. Even the amber crystal bottle stopper is shaped like the heart of agave. Each of the 500 bottles available worldwide (an individually numbered and hand-polished bottle retails for $8,000) comes with a handmade leather display case adorned with gemstone details plus a leather-bound book and video that documents the historic collaboration.
The special batch of tequila Patrón produced for this bottle is a blend of the oldest and rarest Patrón tequilas aged for at least four years in a combination of new American oak and new and used French oak barrels to achieve the right balance of agave and oak notes. The amber liquid has a well-balanced taste and complex notes of sweet caramel, honey, vanilla, dried fruits, and nuts.
This was a rare opportunity for Lalique collectors and spirit aficionados alike. In attendance were Mexican Ambassador Julio Camarena Villasenor and French Charge d’ Affairs Laurent de Codec. Patrón regional director of marketing for Asia Pacific Milton Alatorre led the attendees through a tequila tasting. Jerry Miranda, the bar supervisor at Revel, crafted four cocktails featuring different Patrón tequilas for the guests to enjoy. He shared that his inspiration for his creations was summer drinks on rainy days.
For your next tequila cocktail happy hour, check out the recipe for the Patrón Tequila cocktails they created during the event.
