Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge 2026
Austin Harrington of Youngblood in San Diego has been named Italicus Bar Artist of the Year 2026, winning the global final of the Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge on 14 September at The Savoy Hotel, London.
The final returned to The Savoy as Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto marks its tenth anniversary and the release of its Decimo limited edition bottle. Nine national and regional champions competed, each tasked with reimagining the Spritz using Italicus and taking inspiration from an art form of their choice.
Harrington won with "Science Fair", a bright, aromatic aperitivo inspired by his younger brother's childhood drawings of superheroes, spaceships and science-fiction characters.
Served in a champagne flute and garnished with frozen green grapes, Science Fair combines Italicus with champagne vinegar, yuzu super juice and activated cucumber mint tea, giving the drink a citrus-led, gently bitter profile.
"The whole experience has been pretty surreal," Harrington said. "If I've taken anything from this experience, it's to just be yourself and tell the stories that actually mean something to you, and trust that."
Matthew Kaemmerer-Farag of Kwãnt Mayfair, took second place with "Friends You Haven't Yet Met", inspired by Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. His cocktail combined Italicus, Shichida junmai sake and Thierry Fournier Réserve Champagne, drawing on Italian, French and Japanese influences.
Third place went to Ashley Vanesa De la Rosa Gonzalez of Amaro Records in Guadalajara, Mexico, with "Tra Le Mani", a contemporary Spritz combining Italicus and prosecco with a homemade blue pineapple soda carrying citrus and herbal notes.
L to R: Ashley Vanesa De la Rosa Gonzalez, Austin Harrington, Matthew Kaemmerer-Farag
The 2026 final brought together bartenders representing the UK, France, USA, Spain, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Italy and Mexico.
As the competition winner, Harrington will take part in a mentorship programme with Italicus at Milan's Moebius Bar, ranked No. 7 in The World's 50 Best Bars 2025, where judge Giovanni Allario is bar director.
Finalists & their recipes
The nine finalists who competed in the Art of Italicus 2026 Global Final and their cocktail recipes.
Austin Harrington - United States
Bar & city: Youngblood, San Diego
Cocktail: Science Faire
Ingredients:
60 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
7.5 ml Champagne Vinegar
15 ml Yuzu Super Juice
45 ml Activated Cucumber Mint Tea
5 Frozen Muscat Grapes
Matthew Kaemmerer-Farag - United Kingdom
Bar & city: Kwant Mayfair, London
Cocktail: Friends you haven't yet met
Ingredients:
45 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
100 ml White Peach and Gentian Soda
10 ml Shichida Junmai Sake
20 ml Thierry Fournier Reserve
Ashely Vanesa De La Rosa Gonzalez - Mexico
Bar & city: Amaro Records, Guadalajara
Cocktail: Tra le mani
Ingredients:
45 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
90 ml Homemade blue pineapple soda with citrus and herbal notes (pineapple, hoja santa, lemongrass, Mexican lima and blue spirulina)
45 ml Prosecco
Niccolò Mattei - Italy
Bar & city: White Dog, Poggibonsi
Cocktail: Vitrum
Ingredients:
40 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
5 ml Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
10 ml Verjus
100 ml Cristal Soda (Verbena, Rhubarb, Acids, Salt)
Tom Joly - France
Bar & city: Bar Fouquet's le Majestic, Cannes
Cocktail: The Maiden of the Three Lands
Ingredients:
60 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
30 ml Cordial Tubéreuse et Tilleul
60 ml Poiré
Gennaro Borrelli - Spain
Bar & city: Gimbo, Palma de Mallorca
Cocktail: Italillusion
Ingredients:
50 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
60 ml Cava Veritas
60 ml Melón & Butterfly Pea Tea Soda
15 ml Lime Juice
Lila (Heying) Shu - China
Bar & city: 17 Bar Texture, Shanghai
Cocktail: Impressionist Garden
Ingredients:
45 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
30 ml Fresh Honeydew Melon Juice
20 ml House-made Camellia & Longjing Tea Cordial
30 ml Prosecco Sparkling Wine
Pennywort Leaf (quantity not specified)
Jakob Dornhöfer - Germany
Bar & city: DRY Liquid Supper Bar, Aachen
Cocktail: O'Live
Ingredients:
40 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
40 ml Olive Cordial
40 ml Sparkling Wine
80 ml Soda
1 ml Blackcurrant Vinegar
Ash Au-Yeung - China (Hong Kong)
Bar & city: Anima, Hong Kong
Cocktail: Re
Ingredients:
40 ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
15 ml Tequila Blanco
20 ml Homemade Earthy Herb Mixture
30 ml Carbonated Tangerine Pu'erh Tea
