Here Are the Cocktails (& Recipes) Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone Created for the Oscars
As the film industry concludes its biggest night, the bar program for the Governors Ball that immediately follows the Oscars awards ceremony is something Lorenzo Antinori will likely never forget. Invited by the Academy, Antinori was tasked to create four bespoke cocktails to serve at the ball. With his brother, Charles Joly, also of Bar Leone, named The World’s 50 Best Bars No. 1 in 2025, Antinori designed a quartet of cocktails built around Don Julio tequila.
Titled Best in Show, The Golden Margarita, Maestro Martini, and The Sequel, the drinks were served to Hollywood’s biggest names, with Joly and Antinori spending the entire week leading up to the 66th Governors Ball preparing thousands of ingredients to ensure every glass is as polished as the ceremony itself.
Best in Show
1 ounce Tequila Don Julio Blanco
1/2 ounce Italian aperitif
1/3 ounce dry vermouth
Dash of elderflower liqueur
1/2 ounce cucumber syrup
2/3 ounce fresh lime juice
1 1/2 ounce sparkling water
Long cucumber slice and Mexican salt for garnish
Directions:
Add all the ingredients into a tall highball glass with ice and give it a stir.
The Golden Cut Margarita
1 oz Tequila Don Julio Reposado
Dash of gin
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Toasted baby corn for garnish
Directions:
Pour all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir, and then strain into a rocks glass over a large format ice cube. Garnish with toasted baby corn.
Maestro Martini
1 1/4 oz Tequila Don Julio 70 Cristalino Añejo
3/4 oz bianco vermouth
1/8 oz pineapple amaro
1/8 oz banana liqueur
7 drops salt water
Clove orange peel for garnish
Directions:
Pour all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a clove orange peel.
The Sequel
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio 1942
1 1/2 ounces Oaxacan coffee cold brew
1/3 ounce Piloncillo cinnamon cacao syrup
5 drops salt water
3 dashes vanilla bitters
Directions:
Pour all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass with gold vanilla edible paint streaked along the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone was invited by the Academy to create four bespoke cocktails for the Governors Ball. He designed them with his brother Charles Joly, also of Bar Leone, which was named The World’s 50 Best Bars No. 1 in 2025.
The four cocktails, all built around Don Julio tequila, are Best in Show, The Golden Margarita (listed as The Golden Cut Margarita in the recipes), Maestro Martini, and The Sequel. Antinori and Joly spent the week before the ball preparing thousands of ingredients.
Best in Show combines 1 ounce Tequila Don Julio Blanco, 1/2 ounce Italian aperitif, 1/3 ounce dry vermouth, a dash of elderflower liqueur, 1/2 ounce cucumber syrup, 2/3 ounce lime juice, and 1 1/2 ounce sparkling water, stirred in a highball glass with a cucumber slice garnish.
The Maestro Martini uses 1 1/4 oz Tequila Don Julio 70 Cristalino Añejo, 3/4 oz bianco vermouth, 1/8 oz pineapple amaro, 1/8 oz banana liqueur, and 7 drops of salt water. It is shaken with ice, strained into a coupe, and garnished with a clove orange peel.
The Sequel combines 1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio 1942, 1 1/2 ounces Oaxacan coffee cold brew, 1/3 ounce piloncillo cinnamon cacao syrup, 5 drops salt water, and 3 dashes vanilla bitters. It is shaken, strained into a coupe, and streaked with gold vanilla edible paint.