Anyone who watches Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show knows that his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, loves tequila. Premium brand Don Julio enlisted his help to bring its spirit to the Oscars audience with a seemingly impromptu toast toward the end of the ceremony.

Sporting a simmering gold tuxedo jacket and holding a full-size 750ml bottle of Don Julio 1942, Rodriguez lifted his cocktail glass and invited the rest of the audience to raise their own miniature versions of the tequila brand’s slender brown bottle and join him in a rambling toast.

Don Julio has maintained an official partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for seven years, this year providing a specialty bar experience during the Governors Ball, the official party following the ceremony.

Diageo, the parent company of Don Julio, has partnered with Kimmel for more than a decade, and the company wisely took advantage of the chance for him and Rodriguez – both of whom have famously imbibed on their own show for years – for a paid “in-show moment” during the Oscars.

The semi-improvised toast was the first time an advertiser had been brought into one of Kimmel’s in-show bits, according to ADWEEK, which also reported that a Disney Advertising executive called it a “no brainer.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the tequila brand also partnered with Best Supporting Actress winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph for an Instagram story captioned, “Snuck my Don Julio Tequila in and now they’re giving them out to everyone.”


The campaign also included a traditional 60-second ad spot. As for the tequila itself, the full-size 750ml bottles are in stock nationwide, but the 7-inch, 50ml mini-bottles are only available for presale so far – and posts on social media indicate that they’ll be in high demand.