ART OF ITALICUS APERITIVO CHALLENGE 2023

The ITALICUS Global Bar Artist 2023 title goes to Fabrizio Candino.

Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge, the global bartending competition that celebrates art-inspired aperitivo cocktails, has announced Fabrizio Candino, from Sartoria Cocktail Bar, Italy, as the global winner. On the podium Johannes Sæterbø, from Svanen, Oslo and Valeria  Coletti, from Baccarat, UK. 

Fabrizio Candino, a 34-year-old bartender from Palermo, Sicily, was crowned the winner of the ART OF ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge 2023. This prestigious contest, created by ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto to celebrate the art and  creativity in mixology, involved bartenders from over 20 countries worldwide.  

The competition, now in its fifth edition and conceived by Giuseppe Gallo,  founder, and CEO of ITALICUS, aims to showcase the talents of emerging bartenders in the industry. 

Fabrizio Candino, the Best ITALICUS Bar Artist 2023, hails from Palermo, Sicily, in  Italy, a country known for its hospitality and welcoming nature. His winning cocktail, called “In-Vite,” pays homage to the Mediterranean vine and incorporates the concept of invitation and conviviality. The drink impressed the  competition’s jury with its unique combination of ITALICUS, infused stale bread,  aperitivo wine, and citron juice. The choice of using bread, an unconventional  ingredient in cocktails, added a twist to this twist of the Spritz and captivated  both the judges and the audience.

As the newly crowned Best ITALICUS Bar Artist 2023, Fabrizio Candino has won  a mentorship program with Giacomo Giannotti, owner of Paradiso in  Barcelona, which was ranked as the n. 1 bar in the world in the 2022 edition of  the 50 World Best Bars. 

At second-place Johannes Sæterbø, from Svanen bar in Norway, presented the “Apples & Bergamot” cocktail. His creation aimed to express the  connection between independent artistic scenes by using objects created by  local artists. Valeria Coletti, an Italian bartender working in London at Baccarat,  secured the third place with her cocktail “Bee the Action,” inspired by the Red  Earth Environmental Art Group, a UK-based collective focused on sustainability  through installations and artistic performances. 

The final challenge, held in Rome on May 28th, brought together bartenders  from Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden,  Switzerland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each participant crafted an aperitivo using ITALICUS as a key ingredient. The competition aimed to highlight aperitivo drinks that drew inspiration from  various forms of art, such as sculpture, design, painting, fashion, music,  literature, dance and more. 

This year, participants were required to create their cocktails with sustainability  in mind, avoiding waste and promoting the use of locally sourced ingredients. 

Giuseppe Gallo, Founder and CEO of ITALICUS comments “The Art of ITALICUS  Aperitivo Challenge is a program that discovers and showcases emerging  talents in our industry year after year. The competition serves as a creative  platform through which bartenders have the opportunity to express their  artistic sensibilities while staying rooted in the Italian aperitivo cocktails  tradition. This year, we had the honour of experiencing a competition with  highly skilled bartenders, from their technique to the style of their presentations  and their sustainable approach. We feel honoured to have so many talents  from around the world participating in this program with the goal of improving  and growing within the industry in a more sustainable world.” 

The 12 international bartenders who competed for the global title were: 

– Fabrizio Candino, Sartoria di Palermo, Italy, presenting the cocktail “In-Vite.” – Giuseppe Valente, Cafê de la Bourse, Valencia, Spain, presenting the  cocktail “Renato.”

– Valeria Coletti, Caccarat, London UK, presenting the cocktail “Bee the  Action.” 

– Vasileois Mylonas, bord del Leau Drinkroom di Salonicco, Greece, presenting  the cocktail “Sfumatura.” 

– August Ackerot Helander, Botánico, Göteborg, Sweden, presenting the  cocktail “Bonzo.”

– Filip Sarilar Bergolio, Barmen, Fiume, Croatia, presenting the cocktail  “Berg’olio.” 

– Louis Segonnes, Agence Speakeasy, Touluse, France, presenting the cocktail  “Agora.” 

– Micro Giumelli, N°5 The Bar – Grace Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland, presenting  the cocktail “Olivotto.” 

– Johannesburg Sæterbø, Svanen, Oslo, Norway, presenting the cocktail  “Apples & Bergamot.” 

– Máté Csizmadia, Pink del Pony Club, Budapest, Hungary, presenting the  cocktail “Concerto.” 

– Lolver Hernandez, Café la Trova, Miami, USA, presenting the cocktail  “Eucharist.” 

– Giacomo Gaggero, Truffle Pig, Berlin, Germany, presenting the cocktail  “Mare.” 

Salute!

Italspirits team

Art of Italicus 2023 Finalists