Guillermo Del Toro Stars in Patrón Tequila ‘Perfect Pour’ Ad

(Photo: Patrón)

Hot off nine Academy Award nominations for his recent adaptation of “Frankenstein,” director Guillermo Del Toro is turning his attention to one of the biggest spirits brands based in his home state of Jalisco, Mexico.

On Wednesday, Patrón Tequila unveiled a global campaign centered around a short film directed by and starring Del Toro. Dubbed “The Perfect Pour,” the 30-second spot takes a meta approach to the spirits campaign concept, featuring a production crew of CGI skeletons to pop out from behind the scenes after a cameraman calls “cut.” The ad was filmed on location at Hacienda Patrón, the brand’s home base and distillery in the town of Atotonilco.

“Perfection isn’t rushed — it’s built frame by frame, pour by pour,” Guillermo del Toro said in a news release. “I believe in artistry over industry, soul over process, and making things without compromise. That’s what drew me to this collaboration with Patrón. This film is about honoring craft, intention, and the beauty that comes from doing things the right way.”

While the fictional crew was made up of spooky scaries pulled straight from Del Toro’s imagination, the actual crew was composed of several of the director’s past collaborators. “The film was made possible by Director of Photography Guillermo Navarro, who previously worked on “Pan’s Labyrinth” and the “Twilight” franchise, MOCAP artist Terry Notary, an alum of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, and animation director Karla Castañeda. Help was also lent by sound designer Nathan Robitaille and illustrator and storyboarder Guy Davis.

Del Toro last collaborated with the best-selling spirits brand on International Tequila Day in 2017, when Patrón unveiled a limited-edition bottling themed after the director’s macabre aesthetics. Housed inside a box embossed with skulls, wings and horns, the set included a blended añejo and a 100-milliliter serving of orange liqueur. The collection is still widely available online — so long as you’re willing to fork over at least $2,500.

“At Patrón, we’ve always believed that how you make something matters,” Roberto Ramirez-Laverde, Global Senior Vice President at Patrón, added. Guillermo shares that same dedication to greatness and refusal to compromise. The Perfect Pour delivers a message that hiring an award–winning filmmaker to direct a simple pour shot may seem excessive—but those are the same lengths we go to craft every bottle at Patrón. We don’t compromise on our process.”