A Simple Tequila Pour, but Make It Guillermo del Toro

If there is one thing Guillermo del Toro was never going to do, it was make a boring tequila commercial.

And thank God for that, because PATRÓN’s new campaign, The Perfect Pour, is exactly the kind of extra, darkly gorgeous, proudly Mexican flex that makes perfect sense once you see who is behind it. According to PATRÓN’s new press release, the brand’s latest global campaign centers on a short film directed by del Toro that turns “the pouring of PATRÓN Tequila” into “a cinematic moment,” revealing the craft, patience, and obsessive detail behind both filmmaking and tequila making.

Yes, the premise is technically simple—a close-up of a pour and an elegant glass. And yet the final result has skeletons, moody precision, and the kind of visual drama that instantly screams Guillermo. “Did we really need one of the most iconic directors to film a simple pour?” says the voice-over. “Of course we did. We are Patron. We do things, we do them right. Just perfect. And if Guillermo needed to bring his crew of skeletons, of course, he did. Like us, he never compromises.”

Honestly? Fair enough.

Guillermo del Toro and PATRÓN were always going to make this iconic

According to PATRÓN, this is del Toro’s first commercial. It also builds on a relationship that has been in the works for years. The brand said this new short film follows an earlier collaboration between the two Mexican icons, which began in 2017.

That shared sensibility is really the whole point of the campaign. In a statement included in the release, del Toro explained exactly what pulled him in: “Perfection isn’t rushed — it’s built frame by frame, pour by pour. 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.”

And the film itself seems to operate on that same logic. What starts as a single pour opens up into an entire production. Suddenly, there is a full crew, meticulous direction, and all the invisible labor behind a shot that looks effortless.

The Guillermo del Toro skeleton crew is cute, creepy, and very on brand

Of course, Guillermo was going to bring skeletons.

According to the press release, The Perfect Pour was filmed on location at Hacienda PATRÓN in Jalisco, Mexico, and del Toro’s visual approach includes “colorful and distinctly Mexican visual elements, including a stylized skeleton crew, representing the many hands and artistry behind both the film and every bottle of PATRÓN.”

And we absolutely love that the skeletons are not random, spooky seasoning thrown in just for the sake of it. They are a symbolic nod to labor, artistry, and Mexican visual culture, filtered through del Toro’s very specific eye. Cute and dark. In other words, exactly the type of thing that makes Guillermo’s work feel instantly recognizable.

PATRÓN also made a point of highlighting the team behind the camera. According to the brand, del Toro worked with an “award-winning Mexican-led crew” that included Guillermo Navarro, Karla Castañeda, Guy Davis, Dennis Berardi, Nathan Robitaille, and Terry Notary.

Guillermo del Toro turns a tequila pour into a love letter to craft

That same argument runs through the tequila side of the story, too. According to PATRÓN, every bottle is handcrafted in Jalisco, Mexico, using “just three ingredients — 100% Weber Blue Agave, water, and yeast,” and each bottle is “crafted by more than 60 skilled hands.” That emphasis on process is what lets the campaign bridge tequila-making and filmmaking without feeling forced.

Roberto Ramirez-Laverde, Global Senior Vice President of PATRÓN Tequila, said: “At PATRÓN, we’ve always believed that how you make something matters.” He added that del Toro shares “that same dedication to greatness and refusal to compromise.”

Laila Mignoni, VP of Global Communications at PATRÓN Tequila, described the creative vision in similar terms, saying the goal was to tell “the PATRÓN story in a way that felt cinematic and intentional.” She also said del Toro brought that vision to life “using rich Mexican imagery and motion capture performers to create skeletons to bring his world to life that feels handcrafted yet technically masterful.”

And other brands should take note because that is really why this campaign works. It understands that Mexican craftsmanship does not need to be flattened into a polished, generic form to feel luxurious. It can be weird. It can be theatrical. It can have bones, folklore, and a little wink in the middle of all that precision.

PATRÓN said the film premieres in the U.S. on March 18 during the Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics game on ESPN, before rolling out across TV, digital, social, and later in markets including Mexico, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

So yes, Guillermo del Toro really did direct a dramatic little tequila pour with a skeleton crew. And yes, we absolutely love that for him, for PATRÓN, and for all of us.