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The Espolòn Cocktail Fights is a bartending comp that’s unlike anything you know. You’ll want to be fast, inspired, and “bring your A game of hospitality,” says 2025’s global champ, Australian bartender Jackson Holbrook.
Below, Jackson talks about visiting Espolòn in Mexico, competing on the global stage (smashing out 14 Margaritas in just three minutes), and what you’ll need to do to get involved this year.
BOOTHBY: Jackson, for those who don’t know you, what’s your role?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: I’m the bar manager at Moondrop in Melbourne. But you’re talking to me because last October I won the very first Espolòn Global Cocktail Fights and became the first ever world champion.
BOOTHBY: How did you come to be representing Australia at the first global Espolòn Cocktail Fights comp last year?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: I got a chance to go to Mexico and not only just see an amazing country and meet a bunch of amazing people, but represent Australia, which I was super proud to do. I was selected at random after going to the Espolòn Afterlife sessions last year.
When I signed up to do it, Zach from Campari Academy had mentioned there was going to be some kind of presentation. But I had no idea about the scale or the grandeur about the whole thing.
So I get into Mexico. My flight, of course, coming out of LA was delayed because LA is LA. And I get into Guadalajara at 4pm, I was supposed to arrive at two. And they’re like, “Alright, quick, get him straight to the stage.” And Zach’s like, “No, give him a shower. Let him rest. Let him get changed.” So then I scoot from the hotel straight to where we ended up doing the presentation. It’s this big bullfighting ring, big stands. The ground was all sand. It was crazy. And everyone’s like, alright, cool: present a cocktail.
I was like, I just got here — what is going on? But that was the first night, jumped up on stage, presented a cocktail, and yeah, then the rest is history.
BOOTHBY: What did you have to do to take the win?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: You had to make a riff on a classic Paloma inspired by your locality. The one I did was very Australian, native botanical-focused: Geraldton waxflower, some smoked pepper berries —— it was actually a rotovaped waxflower infused into some Espolòn Blanco. It was a fully clear Paloma, looked super striking. It was really fun.
I went on, presented the drink. I made three full serves on stage for the judges. And then we pre-batched about 250 more mini-serves, and everyone in the audience got to try it. It’s the first time I’ve ever been or seen a comp where everyone in the audience got to try it. The judges voted on who they thought the best was, but also the entire audience got to vote as well.
I went on second last and Zach was sitting across from me. As I got up, he just leans forward, he’s like, whatever you do, don’t stop speaking. So I’m on stage and all I can think about is don’t stop talking. Don’t stop talking. Don’t stop talking. So I have no idea what I said.
From the seven of us who went up, they selected their three finalists. I was lucky enough to be part of that. And then from there, round two was a Margarita speed comp. Whoever made the most Margaritas basically won. The guy who went first, he made six Margaritas in three minutes. The guy who went second, made nine Margaritas in three minutes and the next guy — me — made 14 margaritas in three minutes. But I also knocked over five of them. So it was tied nine and nine. And I was lucky enough that the judges preferred my Margarita spec and I was crowned the global champion.
BOOTHBY: And what’s your spec?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: In case anyone’s wondering, it’s two parts Espolòn, one part Grand Marnier, one part lime. Award-winning Margarita!
BOOTHBY: What was that like? How was the atmosphere?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: It was electric. Everyone who was there was so involved in the industry and so passionate — I didn’t meet a single person who wasn’t just over the moon to be not only there but just involved in the whole thing. Everyone I met and competed against were super cool.
BOOTHBY: And there was more to the trip than the competition?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: Yeah, we went to Espolòn, to the distillery, got to see one of the jimadors cut up an agave plant, got to meet Jesus, the head distiller there, went to the fermentation tanks where they’re playing classical music to soothe the spirit as it ferments.
BOOTHBY: How were you treated?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: The hospitality was amazing. Everyone who we met who was serving us was also just super excited to see all of these people from all different walks of life who do the same things as them. I spoke to so many of the locals there who were making us food and drink, who had so many questions about what it was like for us back home. And we were also talking to them about what it’s like culturally to be in hospitality in Guadalajara.
It was an amazing collaboration.
BOOTHBY: Did it change the way you thought about tequila more broadly?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: I have always loved tequila and Espolòn as a brand, but being able to go there and see how the sausage is made, and directly shake the hand of the head distiller and hear his story and where he came from... You can read about how important tequila is to the people of Mexico and the cultural significance it has. It’s a different ball game to go there and see it and be a part of it and be embroiled in it yourself.
BOOTHBY: And you’re involved in spreading the word about this year’s Espolòn Cocktail Fights, is that right? You’ve got some advice?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: Yeah, we are bringing cocktail fights to a bunch of the capital cities across Australia because we are giving someone the opportunity to come back to Guadalajara and fight me for the World Championship. So come to Bathenders’ Weekender, we’ll be doing a Campari Academy Roadshow featuring Espolòn. I’ll be there, I’ll talk about my experience, I’ll talk about the different challenges that Espolòn threw at us along the way and how you can best prepare yourselves for the cocktail fights. And we’ll also be hosting games and events at Weekender.
BOOTHBY: Do you have any advice for bartenders wanting to compete in the Cocktail Fights this year?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: For the practical, on the ground tips, you’ll have to find us at the Campari Academy roadshows. But for me, I have always thought that my personality is my biggest strength. I’ve got too much of it often. I was quite lucky that I could just so smoothly translate that onto the stage and my love for tequila, bartending, Espolòn, that all just bled through. The cocktail fights aren’t gonna be something you can win based on skill alone. You need to bring the A game of hospitality as well, because it’s not just something you can roundbuild your way through. You gotta love what you do and be passionate about it.
BOOTHBY: Why do you do what you do? What gets you into work each day?
JACKSON HOLBROOK: I do hospitality because I love people. I love chatting to people and I love making unique experiences for people. I find that a really engaging and satisfying way to interact with community and be a part of the local scene. Someone once told me that the only way to be truly successful in hospitality is to find humility in the acts of service to others. And that’s something that stuck with me. I just love what I do and like giving people a good time.
