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January 09 2023
Cocktail competition alert: Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge 2023
THE ART OF ITALICUS APERITIVO CHALLENGE IS BACK IN 2023
ITALICUS is on a pursuit to find the best art-inspired aperitivo cocktail
The Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge is back with its fifth edition. ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto invites bartenders across the globe to create an original aperitivo cocktail inspired by any form of art.
This year, 2023, will see applicants encouraged to incorporate heightened sustainability into their creations, with the global winner being crowned ‘the ITALICUS bar artist of the year’ and receiving the opportunity to experience a mentorship program with no.1 bar in the world, Paradiso Barcelona and Giacomo Giannotti. During the experience, the winner will be accompanied by Shoshin Art Club, the international bartender’s educational platform created by Valentino Longo, to document the full experience in a video episode which will be featured amongst the courses available on the website.
The Art of ITALICUS aperitivo challenge is built on the belief that bartenders are artists, and the program is designed to incentivise them to be as creative as possible by bringing the industry together to create art-inspired cocktails which best represents an elevated aperitivo experience whilst showcasing the ITALICUS spirit through creative liquid expressions.
The competition will be opened in 11 countries: Italy, Spain, USA, UK, Croatia and Slovenia region, France, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. All other bartenders not resident in these countries will be able to apply through a Wild Card entry, having the opportunity to win a spot in the global final in Rome at the end of May.
“ART OF ITALICUS, APERITIVO CHALLENGE” – comments Giuseppe Gallo, founder, and CEO of ITALICUS – is a program which gives me great pride in discovering and meeting, year after year, the new emerging talents in our industry. The contest is thought as a creative platform to be used by bartenders to express their creative sensibility, staying connected to the Aperitivo Culture with the brand. Last year’s edition had over 1,200 entries worldwide, across 12 countries, a result which makes us strive to keep innovating and supporting our bartending community, whilst working together to promote a more sustainable future for the forthcoming generations”
The Competition
Applications are now open from the 9th January to 6th March 2023, on the website:
Competitors are tasked to create an original aperitivo cocktail using a minimum 40ml of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto and including a sustainable ingredient or garnish. To be in with a chance of winning, all applicants must upload the recipe and a photo of their creation – alongside measurements, garnishes and glassware to the competition website by 6th March 2023. Bartenders are encouraged to develop and test their cocktail with consumers ahead of the competition and to share their creations on social media using the following hashtags:
#ITALICUS #ROSOLIODIBERGAMOTTO #ARTOFITALICUS #AOI2023
Regional Finals
Shortlisted applicants will be notified in March, with eight competitors from each region invited to participate in the regional final. Shortlisted applicants will be selected based on a combination of the creativeness of their cocktail recipe, the connection between the cocktail and the art which inspired its creation, the perception of the aperitivo and the social media attraction the competitor managed to generate – tracked using the hashtags above.
National Finals
National finals will take place during March and April, where the eight finalists will have five minutes to prepare “mise en place” and eight minutes to present their cocktail to the judges with a minimum of 4 servings.
Global Finals
The regional winner will progress on to the global final, taking place at the end of May in Rome. All national winners will receive an all expensed trip to the final. The global winner of the AOI aperitivo challenge 2023 will receive the coveted title of ITALICUS Bar Artist of the Year 2023 and an exclusive mentorship opportunity with Giacomo Giannotti, Italian bartender and head of Paradiso Cocktail Bar, Barcelona, which was recently awarded ‘Best Bar in the World’ by the 50 Best Bars 2022. The winner will also receive a yearly subscription to the Shoshin Arts Club, a virtual hub offering subscribers the chance to explore all possible bar-related topics and the ability to learn from world-class mixologists.
