Official Rules for TOTCF’s Holiday Coquito Competition Sponsored by BACARDí Rum

 

ELIGIBILITY

Bartenders:  The Competition is open only to individuals who (a) are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States; (b) work at a bar in Califonia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts New York, Tennessee, or Texas; (c) are at least twenty-five (25) years of age as of the date of entry.

Exclusions:  Individuals who are full-time or part-time employees of TOTCF, BACARDI U.S.A., BACARDI Rum, TEAM Enterprises or a distributor at the time of entry, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, children) and household members of those employees, are not eligible to enter.  

 

Stage 1:  ONLINE ENTRIES

How to Enter:  Visit https://www.talesofthecocktail.org/get-involved/holiday-coquito-competition (the “Website”) and follow the instructions on that page. You will be required to submit a cocktail recipe that meets the requirements described below. Together, the form, recipe, and photo constitute your “Entry.” Entries must be received by October 24, 2025, and there is a limit of one (1) Entry per person.

1. Recipe Requirements: Your recipe must meet the following requirements:

• The recipe must be rum-based with a minimum of one and a half (1.5) oz BACARDI Ocho.
• The recipe should be inspired by a traditional Puerto Rican Coquito, having warming spices and coconut.
• Recipes must be expressed in milliliters or fluid ounces, divided into relatively customary measurements (0.5 oz., 1 oz., 2 oz., etc.), with dashes and/or drops being the smallest quantities. 
• The content of the cocktail must be between 3 oz. and 11 oz. (including dashes and drops).
• You may not use flaming alcohol or flames near alcohol.
• Ingredients must be safe for human consumption.
• You must specify a name for your recipe. The name may not include any copyrighted or trademarked material or any retailer’s name, except that you may use the BACARDI brand in the name.
• Recipes must be an original creation and not have been used in previous media, competitions, or other publications.

1. Photo Requirements:  Your photo must meet the following requirements:

• The photo must be saved in a JPG or PNG file format. 
• The photo cannot be larger than 20 MB. 
• Cannot contain trademarked, copyrighted or intellectual property of third parties.
• Photos must be an original creation and not have been used in previous media, competitions, or other publications.
• Photos may not be AI generated.
• Your photo may not: (a) be targeted to people under twenty-one (21) years old; (b) feature anyone who is under twenty-five (25) years old; (c) encourage, condone, promote, or glamorize under-age, excessive, or irresponsible consumption of alcohol products, drunk driving, or any behavior considered to be anti-social, illegal, or immoral or suggest that the consumption of beverage alcohol will lead to social or sexual success; (d) violate anyone else’s rights, including their copyrights, trademark rights, or rights of privacy or publicity; or (e) reflect poorly on TOTCF or BACARDI Rums. In addition, your Entry must comply with the Code of Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising and Marketing of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Inc.

 

Stage 2:  COQUITO PLACEMENTS

Coquito Placement and Donation: 

• Each entrant has the opportunity to feature their unique Coquito on their bar’s menu from November 1st, 2025 – January 6th, 2026.
• It is encouraged, but not required, to make a donation for each coquito sold (ex. $1 from each cocktail) to raise funds for the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Scholarship Program. Should Entrants opt-in and participate, the Entrant that donates the most funds by January 15th, 2025, will be announced and thanked in a TOTCF Email Newsletter highlighting the Holiday Coquito Competition. 

 

Stage 3: JUDGING

Judging:  Judges will taste each Coquito entry and score it based on the following criteria. The judges will select up to eight (8) entries per market to participate in the Coquito Showdown.

1. Judging Criteria: 

• Aroma – maximum of five (5) points
• Flavor – maximum of five (5)  points 
• Spices – maximum of five (5) points
• Texture  – maximum of five (5) points

Regions: Entries will be divided into twelve (12) groups based on market to be judged.

Notification of Coquito Showdown:  TOTCF will notify all Competitors via email by December 19, 2025, and invite them to participate in the Coquito Showdown. Each Competitor may be required to complete and return a declaration of eligibility, a liability/publicity release, a current W-9, and authorization to conduct a background check. TOTCF reserves the right (in its sole discretion) to disqualify a Competitor if the individual does not sign the necessary forms within five (5) days of the date notification is sent. If a Competitors returns these documents on time, and in TOTCF’s sole discretion, passes the background check, they will be invited to participate in the Coquito Showdown in their market of Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Miami, FL; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Tampa, FL; Southern California, or Northern California.

 

Stage 4:  COQUITO SHOWDOWN

Local Events: Each Coquito Showdown will take place between January 1st – January 31st, 2026 in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Miami, FL; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Tampa, FL; Southern California, or Northern California. Each competitor is responsible for any necessary travel, accommodations, meals, taxes, and the cost of other incidental expenses incurred by participating in a Coquito Showcase.

Ingredient Stipend: TOTCF will provide each Coquito Showdown Competitor with a one hundred U.S. dollar ($100.00) stipend to prepare their Coquito for the judges and attendees. 

Competition Details: During the Coquito Showdown, Competitors will create their unique Coquito recipe for Showdown Attendees and Judges to sample. The cocktail should be batched or each ingredient should be measured, free pouring is not allowed. 

1. 1. Judging: The judges will score each cocktail according to the following criteria. 
      1. Creativity/story – maximum of ten (10) points
      2. Taste – maximum of eight (8) points 
         1. Based on Aroma, Flavor, Spices, and Texture 
      3. Appearance – maximum of five (5) points

• People’s Choice: Coquito Showdown Attendees will have the opportunity to sample each cocktail and cast one (1) vote for their favorite. 

• Prizing: The judges will select the Grand Prize Winner of each local Coquito Showdown event based on the scores. The People’s Choice winner will receive a swag bag prize. 

 

Stage 5:  PRIZING

Trip to Puerto Rico:  Each Grand Prize Winner will receive: (a) round-trip coach class airfare for one (1) person from an airport close to the Winner’s home to San Juan, Puerto Rico; (b) hotel accommodations for two (2) or three (3) nights; (c) ground transportation in San Juan; (d) travel insurance; and (e) an immersive experience at the Casa Bacardi distillery. The approximate retail value of the trip is $3,000. The actual value of the trip will vary depending on various factors, including the date of booking, the point of departure, and the dates of travel. Please see the Prize Details Section below for additional details. Winners will be responsible for passport, visa if needed, vaccines, luggage, tax, meals, and the cost of other incidental expenses.

 

GENERAL TERMS

Supplies:  For all stages, participants will be responsible for all expenses that are not explicitly stated as provided by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation in these rules. 

Agreement to Terms and Conditions:  By participating in this Competition, participants indicate their unconditional agreement to these Official Rules, the TOTCF Code of Conduct, and TOTCF’s decisions, which are final and binding. Moreover, by participating, they represent that they are complying with any policies their employer may have regarding participation in competitions of this nature. Participants cannot win a prize unless they comply with all requirements set forth herein. TOTCF reserves the right to change these Official Rules at any time, without prior notice. Any changes will be posted on the Website. 

Background Check:  TOTCF reserves the right (at any point and in its sole discretion) to disqualify any individual if, based on the results of the background check – or on an individual’s other actions or statements – TOTCF concludes that the individual will not be a good representative for the TOTCF or BACARDI U.S.A. brands. Any actions of the competitor outside of accordance with the TOTCF Code of Conduct will result in disqualification from the program. 

Rights to Entries:  By entering, participants irrevocably: (a) grant TOTCF,  BACARDI U.S.A. and BACARDI RUM, and each of their agents, licensees, and assigns (collectively, the “Rights Holders”) the unconditional and non-exclusive right and permission to copyright, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, modify, create derivative works of, exhibit, and otherwise use their Entry as-is or as-edited in any media throughout the world for any purpose, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from the competitor or any other party for five (5) years from the date they submitted the Entry; (b) waive any rights of copyrights, trademark rights, privacy rights, and any other legal or moral rights that may preclude the Rights Holders’ use of the Entry, as outlined above, or require any further permission for the Rights Holders to use the Entry; and (c) agree not to instigate, support, maintain, or authorize any action, claim, or lawsuit against the Rights Holders on the grounds that any use of the Entry, or any derivative works, infringes any of their rights as creator of the Entry, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademark rights, and moral rights.

Publicity:  Except where prohibited, by participating in the Competition, participants agree that the Rights Holders and any media attending events related to the Competition may use their name, likeness, voice, opinions, photographs, recipes, event-related audio-visual footage, biographical information, state of residence, and/or any other record of their participation in the Competition for promotional purposes in any press releases, advertisements, television, radio, film, documentary, internet, social media, or in any other publication or media without further payment or consideration and to license the right to use such intellectual property to others. Participants may be required to sign additional releases regarding publicity.

Prize Details:  Participants are responsible for paying any taxes, including income taxes and any and all other costs and expenses not listed in the Official Rules. Participants may be required to provide a Social Security Number for tax reporting purposes. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by TOTCF, at its sole discretion. The actual value of the trips will vary depending on various factors, including the date of booking, the point of departure, and dates of travel. A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded. Participants may not request cash or a substitute prize; however, TOTCF reserves the right to substitute a prize (or component thereof) with another prize (or component thereof) of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason, as determined by TOTCF, in its sole discretion. Participants must travel on the dates specified by TOTCF. Once travel documents are issued, travel arrangements cannot be changed. If participants cannot travel on the dates specified by TOTCF, they will not be permitted to compete in the next stage of the Competition. Participants are responsible for securing passports, visas, and any other documents necessary for international travel. If the Competition is canceled, no prizes may be awarded.

General Conditions:  In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Competition is impaired in any way, TOTCF may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) cancel or suspend the Competition to address the impairment and then resume the Competition; or (b) award the prizes according to the criteria set forth above from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. TOTCF reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Competition, violates these Official Rules or the TOTCF Code of Conduct, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. TOTCF’s failure to enforce any term of these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to TOTCF by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by TOTCF. The Competition is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void in Utah and where prohibited.  Participants agree that, while participating in the contest and in their private lives, they will (a) not commit an offense involving moral turpitude; (b) not engage in activities that may create any public scandal, disrepute, widespread contempt, or public ridicule; (c) not harass, embarrass, offend, insult, or denigrate individuals or groups; (d) not damage the person or property of others; (e) that they will treat all other contestants, judges, and related competition personnel with respect; and (f) that they will drink responsibly.  Travel and cash prizes will be taxable to participants and they should expect to receive a Form 1099.

Release and Limitations of Liability:  By participating in the Competition, participants hereby release and hold harmless TOTCF, BACARDI and BACARDI RUM, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Competition or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Competition; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Competition or the processing of Entries; (f) injury or damage to partiicipants and their property  and/or (g) injury or damage they cause to other persons or property. Participants further agree to defend, indemnify, release, and hold the Released Parties harmless from any claims related to their participation including damage to other persons and property, and from any claims that their use of their Entry (as contemplated in these Rules) violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party. Participants waive the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

Disputes:  All disputes arising out of or related to these rules, the Competition, or any other matter shall be resolved through binding arbitration filed and heard in New Orleans, Louisiana pursuant to American Arbitration Association Rules using a single arbitrator.  Each contestant waives any rights to challenge this forum and venue or the application of Louisiana law.  Should this arbitration agreement be held non-enforceable or in order to enforce an arbitration award, each contestant irrevocably submits and consents to the jurisdiction and venue of the courts located in Orleans Parish, Louisiana and waives any objection that such forum is inconvenient.  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Terms and Conditions, participant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of TOTCF in connection with the Competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Louisiana, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of Louisiana or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Louisiana.  Each contestant agrees that any claim or dispute related to the Competition shall be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, collective, or representative action or as a named or unnamed member in a class, collective, consolidated, or private attorney general action.

Event Organizer:  The Competition is brought to you by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, ℅ Taylor & Willis CPAs, 3500 N Causeway Blvd, Suite 1145, Metairie, LA 70002.