The Philippines winner and their cocktail, who'll go on to compete for a place in the Patrón Perfectionists Global Final in May 2024.
Billy Ranchez started his bar journey at 17 while still a student and quickly developed a passion for the craft and the human connections that characterise this job. As a bartender of one of the best bars in the Philippines, The Spirits Library, his bartending style stands out as playful and unorthodox. Billy uses his culinary background to incorporate gastronomy techniques and flavours in his cocktails. For Billy, every day is a new challenge to be embraced, from finding new mixology styles to play with to learning the lessons that the day to day work behind the bar and guests teach him.
Entry Challenge cocktail inspiration
Mabaya is a Paloma inspired by Billy's childhood in the streets of Antipolo, Philippines, and the memories of the sweltering summer heat spent playing patintero and tumbang with friends. Seeking the shade under a guava tree, the kids would also climb it to pick its ripe fruits. Below the tree, they would find blooms of red Hibiscus flowers to enjoy sweet nectar from. The highlight of their snack time or "Meryenda", would then be a cold beverage from a cart across the street, "Samalamig", enjoyed together whilst laughing and cooling down. Mabaya is a tribute to simple and playful things, beautiful memories, celebrated with Patrón Tequila.
Bar: The Spirits Library, Poblacion Makati
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 60 ml Grapefruit, Hibiscus & Guava Cordial*
- 90 ml Soda water
Garnish: Dried Hibiscus flower
*To make Grapefruit, Hibiscus & Guava Cordial:
1. Brew Hibiscus tea with fermented and dried hibiscus flowers, 250ml of hot water and steep 5 grams of Hibiscus flower.
2. In a pot, combine: 300 ml of Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, 150 ml Hibiscus Tea, 60ml Monin Guava Syrup, 45 ml fresh lemon juice, 10 drops of Saline Solution
3. Bring to a low steeping boil for 10-15 minutes around 87°C.
4. Pass through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Store overnight in a clean bottle.
Bar: Harina by Mimosas, Mandaue City, Cebu
- 50 ml Patrón Reposado
- 45 ml Honey Chamomile Grapefruit*
- 150 ml Soda Water
Garnish: Chamomile Honey Isomalt Candy, half rim with dehydrated pulverized grapefruit & sea salt
Build Ice: Spear ice
*To make Honey Chamomile Grapefruit:
Peel the grapefruit and juice 300ml grapefruit juice using Fruit Juicer Yield. Mix 9gr of citric acid, 6gr malic acid, 30 gr Chamomile loose tea and 300ml of honey. Transfer the liquid to a sealable heat proof bag. Place the liquid in the immersion circulator, cook it for two hours at 58 degrees Celsius. Place the bag in an ice bath and let it cool to room temperature, pass the cordial through fine mesh.
Bar: The Attic Bar, Taguig City
- 30 ml Patrón Reposado
- 52.5 ml Spices & Grapefruit Cordial*
- 120 ml Soda water
Garnish half of rim with asin tibuok and add a fresh rosemary sprig.
*To make Spices & Grapefruit Cordial:
Use grapefruit peels to make an oleosaccharum overnight. Yield is 250ml. Lightly toast the following: 25g of coriander seeds 15g of fenugreek seeds 7.5g of dried rosemary. When aroma is released, remove from heat and grind using a mortar and pestle. Bring back to heat and add 50ml of grapefruit juice. Strain. Mix the oleosaccharum with the spice and grapefruit juice mix.
Bar: Coconut Grove, Manila City
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 30 ml Lavender Grapefruit-Yuzu Cordial*
- 120 ml Soda water with a dash of Blue Pea water
Garnish: Dehydrated Lavender
*To make Lavender Grapefruit-Yuzu Cordial:
Grapefruit fruit-150g Grapefruit skin-150g Sugar- 300g Sous vide for 4 hours. Boil and strain 500g of Yuzu puree and 250g of sugar. Take dried Lavender (15g Water), 1ltr of equal parts of sugar. Combine yield amount from these 3 ingredients then add citric acid, malic acid and salt.
Bar: Ruby Wong's Godown, Manila City
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 30 ml Melons-Grapefruit Cordial*
- 75 ml Soda water
Garnish: Morello Cherry Jelly
*To make Melons-Grapefruit Cordial:
1. Sous vide the below at 65°c overnight, strain and chill:
200ml Melon syrup
300g Melon flesh,
200g Watermelon flesh,
250g White sugar,
5g Coriander seeds (crushed), 3pcs Cardamom pods (lightly crushed to open)
2. 75ml Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum*
100g Grapefruit peels
100g White sugar. Let sit in room temperature overnight until the sugar is dissolved.
Strain and bottle to use.
3. 1.375g Citric acid Combine ingredients 1-3, stir well until citric acid is well dissolved.
Bar: Southbank Cafe + Lounge
- 30 ml Patrón Reposado
- 45 g grapefruit calamansi boba cordial*
- 120 ml soda water.
Garnish: dehydrated grapefruit pulp salt
*To make grapefruit calamansi boba cordial:
Take: 250ml grapefruit juice, 250ml refined sugar, 60ml calamansi juice, 1pc birds eye chili, 15ml grenadine, 2% calcium lactate, 1L distilled water 5g of sodium alginate. Mix grapefruit juice, sugar, calamansi juice, and grenadine and muddle birds eye chili and add 2% calcium lactate of the total weight of liquid, then blend in a blender and freeze it using 14mm size moulder. Prepare sodium alginate bath, mix 1L of distilled water and 5g of sodium alginate then warm it for 2 minutes. Drop the frozen mixture to the warm sodium alginate bath and let it create a membrane to make it a boba sphere.
Bar: A'Toda Madre, Poblacion Makati City
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 45 g grapefruit pomelo cordial*
- 120 ml soda water
Garnish: Charred grapefruit and rim with sal de gusano.
*To make grapefruit pomelo cordial:
Combine 60 grams grapefruit peel, 60 grams pomelo peel, and 90ml agave syrup in a resealable airtight bag. Leave it to infuse for 48hours. In a bowl, combine 150ml grapefruit juice,150ml pomelo juice and 5grams citric acid. Set aside. Pour 90ml coconut water, infused peels and agave into a saucepan and bring it into the stove over a medium heat. Stir occasionally until it simmers or gently boiling. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the juices with citric acid mixture. Cover the saucepan and allow the mixture to infuse and cool at a room temperature for about an hour. Clarify the cordial using whole milk. Leave it for at least 30mins Strain the clarified cordial into a pitcher using coffee filter or a muslin cloth in a sterilized bottle. Before closing the bottle, smoke it with a cherry wood. To have a smoky flavoured cordial.
Bar: Bar by East, Manila
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 20 ml Pickle Tomato Grapefruit Cordial*
- 120 ml Soda water
Method: stir all ingredients.
*To make Pickle Tomato Grapefruit Cordial:
In a blender put 5-7 medium tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt for flavour and to help the tomatoes release their juice. Blend until you're somewhere between finely chopped and pulp. Position the strainer over the bowl, line the strainer with the cheesecloth, and pour the tomato mixture into the strainer.
Put all the following ingredients in a pot, let it boil, and rest to cool then transfer it to a sealed container: 200ml fresh grapefruit juice, 200ml tomato water, 100ml pickle juice, 200g white sugar.
Bar: Cowrie Cove bar, Shangri-la Mactan Cebu
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 60 ml Forbidden Cordial*
- 80 ml Soda water
Garnish: Grapefruit wedge, rim with fruits skin powder with Himalayan salt.
*To make Forbidden Cordial:
250 ml Grapefruit juice
250 ml Apple juice
250 ml Watermelon juice
250 grams caster sugar
5 grams citric acid
1 stick of Sappan wood
Bring the watermelon, apple, grapefruit juice and caster sugar to the boil in a saucepan. Add sappan wood and simmer it gently for a few minutes. Take saucepan off the heat, add citric acid then stir. Strain into a sterilised bottle with cover and put into the chiller.
Bar: Mansion Sports Bar and Lounge
- 45 ml Patrón Reposado
- 45 ml KBL Cordial*
- 3 dashes Grapefruit Bitters
- 90 ml Soda water
Garnish: Beetroot paint and porkfloss.
*To make KBL Cordial:
Dried Batuan 50g
Dried jackfruit 50g
Dried Green chili 2pcs
Lemongrass 20g
Pork broth 100ml
Water 500ml
Malic acid 5g
Citric acid 10g
Kadyos milk 400ml
Tomato juice 250ml
Agave syrup 200ml
Procedure:
Put all the ingredients into cooking pan bring into boil of 60°c for 1hour, after boiling set aside and let it cool, strain the liquid then add the tomato juice and agave syrup, milk washed into kadyos milk then let it strain until it gets clear.
Kadyos milk ingredients:
Kadyos-100 g
Water 250ml
Olive brine 50ml
Procedure:
Put all the ingredients into blender then blend it until you get the milk of kadyos and strain after.
Patrón Silver is a blend of two very differently produced triple distilled tequilas - one made using a traditional tahona and fermented with agave fibres,
Patrón Reposado comprises two very different 100% agave triple distilled tequilas - one made using a traditional tahona and fermented with agave fibres,
Patrón Añejo is a blend of two very differently produced triple distilled 100% agave tequilas - one made using a traditional Tahona and fermented with
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