The garden trembles beneath the first light.
BLOOM
A murmur rises from the earth…
faint, uncertain.
The air shivers, as if remembering something.
It begins.
A sudden riot — life spilling out in color and scent,
too much for the delicate silence to hold.
Flowers open like secrets whispered too soon.
Vines crawl,
retracing the carved steps they had relinquished to the cold.
The world breathes in, wide and bright…
color itself stirs awake.
Shadows stretch across a parched earth.
decay
Petals curl
inward.
Vines loosen their grip in retreat.
The air is thick with memory.
A spark crackles in the exhausted orange sky.
Fire.
Embers rise,
dancing skyward, laden with stories
from a fleeting brilliance.
An Invitation to Bloom + Decay
Each year, Condesa Gin gathers the most talented bartenders from around the world to celebrate creativity, craft, and community in the Condesa Gin Ritual Series Cocktail Competition.
In Vol. IV, we turn to the poetic cycle of Bloom + Decay / Florecer y Marchitar — a theme of abundance and transformation.
From fresh herbs and radiant brightness to smoke, fermentation, and memory, we invite you to explore this theme through your own lens, and bring it to life in a single COCKTAIL.
KEY DATES
Entries Open
Regional Deadline
Regional Semi-Finals
General Deadline
Finals — Mexico City
October 2025
January 9, 2026
Week of January 19
January 15, 2026
February 3, 2026
Important: Regional Semi-Finals will be held for the following countries / US states: Spain (held in Barcelona), Italy (held in Rome), New York (held in New York City) and California (held in Los Angeles). These Regional Semi-Finals will be held the week of January 19. Applicants in all other regions, will be considered only for the Mexico City finals.
How to Enter
STEP 01: CREATE YOUR ORIGINAL COCKTAIL
STEP 02: Capture your creation
STEP 03: submit your entry
Timeline Steps
i. ENTRIES OPEN
October 2025
–
Fill out the Application Form and choose your region.
iI. REGIONAL DEADLINE
January 9, 2026
–
For Spain, Italy, New York & California contestants.
iIi. selection for semi-finals
LATE January 2026
–
Condesa Gin selects semi-finalists for each regional round.
iv. regional semi-finals
Week of January 19, 2026
–
SPAIN · ITALY · New York · CALIFORNIA In-person competitions; 1+ winner from each moves on to Finals.
v. general region deadline
January 15, 2026
–
For Mexico, Rest of USA, Rest of Europe & Rest of World applicants.
VI. selection of finalists
Late January, 2026
–
12 bartenders are chosen from both regional & general entries.
VI. Finals in Mexico City
February 3, 2026
–
During Art Week 12 finalists, 3 days of celebration. Travel & accommodation provided.
where it all happens
REGIONAL SEMI-FINALS AROUND THE WORLD
The Finals Mexico City, Art Week
Judging AND Digital Choice
EXPERT JUDGING PANNEL
(to be announced) will evaluate entries on:
DIGITAL CHOICE AWARDS
PRIZES
FIRST PLACE: $50,000 MXN
SECOND PLACE: $25,000 MXN
THIRD PLACE: $15,000 MXN
DIGITAL CHOICE: $10,000 MXN
Mixology InspiratioN
sensory world:
Radiant · Airy · Bright · Delicate · Fresh
Techniques & Textures:
Muddling fresh herbs
Flash infusions
Clarified juices
Airy foams
Sparkling, crisp serves (coupes, highballs)
Ingredients & Flavors:
Basil, mint, lavender, rose
Edible flowers
Green apple, cucumber, young coconut water
Bright acids, fresh whites, effervescence
Palette:
Greens · Colorful fruits · Florals · Translucent · Luminous
sensory world:
Smoked · Fermented · Earth · Aged · Viscous
Techniques & Textures:
Torching, smoking
Fermentation (kombucha, tepache, lacto fruits)
Fat-washing (cacao butter, coconut, sesame)
Aging in oak or clay
Opaque, viscous textures, oily sheens
Ingredients & Flavors:
Tamarind, molasses, dried hibiscus
Black garlic, mushroom syrups
Charred pineapple, salted plums
Smoked syrups, lapsang teas
Palette:
Amber · Earth tones · Moss · Shadows · Smoke
THAT YEAR
IT BLOOMED
OUT OF SEASON
ON A TREE
NO ONE REMEMBERED
PLANTING.
Relive the Ritual Series Vol. III "Sabores del Mercado"
meet our 2025 finalists
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Go to condesagin.com/ritual-series and click the submit entry button, fill out a short submission form, upload the necessary photos and optional video and you’re done.
The competition is open to everyone. All you need is a bottle of Condesa Gin.
You will receive a confirmation email from us.
For the Ritual Series vol. 4, only one of each of our gins is to be added to the cocktail.
Finalists will be announced on our Instagram account and by email.
We will contact you via email to obtain bank account information if you are among the winners.
Check out our website condesagin.com and our Instagram account @CONDESAGIN.
Sure. Feel free to enter as an individual or as a group. We will only be able fly one person to the finals, however.
You may use the gin, and up to five additional ingredients. Garnishes do not count as ingredients. Syrups can be counted as 1 ingredient but should be commercially available. If you are making your own pre-mixes, the ingredients in this pre-mix will count towards the 5-ingredient total. The gin does not count as one of the 5 ingredients. If clarifying, ingredients used solely for the process (e.g., milk) do not count toward the total.
- Yes, you will always be eligible for our Digital Choice Awards, and for your cocktail to be profiled on our Instagram page.
You can submit as many cocktails as you like.
Yes absolutely. We understand you may need to use other brands to help celebrate a great Condesa Gin cocktail. As long as the cocktail contains 50ml or more of Condesa Gin, and it is the primary alcoholic ingredient, it is eligible for submission.
Please get your video, photo and recipe submissions in by 11:59pm, local time in Mexico City, on January 15, 2026, to upload the information (or January 9th, 2026 if you’ll participate in the regional semi-finals).
- You can purchase through our website or through our retail partners. For participants in the U.S., you can place your order on our online store. Anyone who needs help finding a bottle can also reach out to us on hola@condesagin.com
- In Europe, you can find Condesa Gin at the following sites:
🇬🇧 UK: Amazon UK or Drinks One
🇪🇸 Spain: Amazon Spain or Invinoveritas
🇮🇹 Italy: Spirit Academy
ABOUT CONDESA GIN
Named after one of the most iconic neighborhoods in Mexico City, Condesa Gin is a premium Mexican gin, handcrafted by a team led by master distiller Hillman Salome in the city’s first micro-distillery. We aim to unite two magnificent concepts: the cosmopolitan style of modern Mexico and the ancestral traditions of curanderismo rituals, which have preserved their heritage for centuries using a variety of Mexican botanicals. This fusion of modern style and reverence for tradition lies at the heart of Condesa Gin.
CONDESA GIN
CLÁSICA
Formulated to celebrate Mexico’s traditional curandera ceremonies and the botanicals used in these rituals. The botanical array celebrates herbs to cleanse negative energy, flowers to attract love and resins to expand consciousness.
Firm juniper notes at its core, elevated by spicy and floral tones, with the dry, earthy presence of sage and the citrus-like palo-santo. Warming, meditative and bold.
Formulated with hand-selected, ethically sourced palo santo, sage, jasmine, juniper berries, coriander seeds, elderflower, lavender, rosemary, cedron, myrrh, lime peel and orange peel.
CONDESA GIN
prickly pear & orange blossom
Formulated to encapsulate a sunny Mexican springtime afternoon, a golden hour spent with friends, where the evening’s unwritten possibilities expand.
Prickly Pear & Orange Blossom (Xoconostle y Azahar) is a clean, bright and fragrant expression of gin, combining desert cactus fruit with the floral notes of orange blossom and the zest of Mexican limes.
Botanicals include prickly pear, orange blossom, raspberry, juniper berries, coriander seeds and lime.
CONDESA GIN
sahumerio
Condesa Gin Sahumerio is a celebration of memory , of reflection. With distinct profiles of copal and Aztec marigold, it draws inspiration from ancient traditions that honor and celebrate those who have passed.
It is crafted to be enjoyed in moments of quiet introspection or in joyful moments shared with those around us and those who have come before.
Intensely aromatic, with woody, mossy, and earthen elements balanced by the floral notes of Aztec marigold.
Formulated with juniper berries, copal, Aztec marigold flower, Yucatan orange peel, wormwood, black pepper, sandalwood, allspice, and coriander seeds.
Condesa Gin Cocktail Competition is open to legal drinking age participants worldwide. Please drink responsibly.