Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge 2023

ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto, the Italian Aperitivo adored by bartenders all over the world, has announced the launch of Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge 2023; a bartending challenge inspired by art and creativity. Born in 2018, each year this contest allows bartenders to honor art’s liquid expression: cocktails. 

ITALICUS is a brand that encapsulates art in all its forms, representing innovation, excellence, courage and uniqueness. ITALICUS believes that bartenders are artists, and tasks entrants with crafting the ultimate aperitivo experience using ITALICUS as a key ingredient. Participating bartenders are challenged to be as innovative as possible with their creations, while remaining true to the aperitivo occasion.

In order to enter, bartenders must create an original aperitivo-style cocktail recipe, inspired by any form of art, using a minimum of 1.5 oz of ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto. Bartenders will also be required to include a sustainable element in their cocktails, highlighted in either an ingredient or garnish. The recipe should be expressed with measurements as well as garnishes, glassware and overall presentation. 

Just eight finalists will be selected for the US final, which will be held in spring 2023. The finalists will prepare their cocktails in front of a live panel of expert judges and the winner will be crowned as the US Bar Artist of the Year. This winner, along with the national winners from all participating countries, will receive a 1-year membership to the Shōshin Art Club learning platform and will also be entered into the Global Art of ITALICUS Final, which will take place in May 2023. Only one global winner will then be crowned as ITALICUS Bar Artist of the Year. This winner will be awarded a once in a lifetime mentorship program with Giacomo Giannotti at Paradiso Barcelona, World’s Best Bar 2022, and the entire experience will be documented by Shōshin Art Club. 

“ART OF ITALICUS, APERITIVO CHALLENGE,” comments Giuseppe Gallo, founder and CEO of ITALICUS, “is a program that gives me great pride and allows me to discover and meet, year after year, the new emerging talent in our industry. The contest is thought of as a creative platform for bartenders to express their creative sensibility, while staying connected to the Aperitivo cocktail culture. Last year’s edition had over 1,200 entries worldwide, and I look forward to continue innovating and supporting our bartending community, and working together on a future more sustainable for the generations to come.” 

From January 9 – March 6, 2023, entries for the competition will be accepted at  https://rosolioitalicus.com/the-art-of-italicus/aperitivo-challenge/ in the US, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and the Slovenia region, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. All other bartenders outside of these countries will be able to apply through a Wild Card entry, and will be given the opportunity to win a spot to the global final.

All participants are also invited to share the recipe via social media using the appropriate hashtags #ITALICUS #ROSOLIODIBERGAMOTTO #ARTOFITALICUS #AOI23.