Pallini Limoncello Cocktail Competition 2026

As with other competitions we host on Difford's Guide, our aim is to find new contemporary cocktails which can be replicated in bars and homes around the world. Hence, the ingredients must be easily available without the need to pre-combine ingredients.

Naturally, cocktails must be include at least 15ml (½oz) of any of Pallini's limoncellos:

• Pallini Limoncello
• Pallini Limonzero (non-alcoholic limoncello
• Pallini Limoncello Cream Liqueur
• Pallini Limoncello Amalfi Coast Edition

Cocktails may be in the form of long or short drinks (not shots) with a minimum of 90ml (3oz) liquid volume.

While not a strict criteria, the judges will award bonus points for more savoury cocktails, and cocktails based on five or fewer ingredients are preferred. (Solid garnishes are not considered ingredients. And if a citrus fruit zest is specified as a garnish and expressed over the cocktail, this is not considered an ingredient.)

This competition is open to professional and home cocktail enthusiasts anywhere in the world.

Enter

Please complete the short form on the ENTER page. If you are already a Difford's Guide member and logged in, we already have your name and email. If you are new to Difford's Guide, then you'll be asked for this additional information to become a member and upload your cocktail recipe.

Prizes

€3,000 prize fund!

• €1,000 for the winner in the bartenders' category and the winner in the cocktail enthusiasts' category.
• €500 for the runners-up in each category.

Key Dates

Open for entries: 3 April 2026
Entry period closes: midnight 17 May 2026
Winners announced: early June 2026

Judges & judging

A panel of four judges, including yours truly, will assess all cocktail recipes entered and accompanying photographs.

Giulia Cuccurullo (Bar Manager, Artesian Bar, London)
Giulia Cuccurullo is the Head Bartender at the Artesian bar at The Langham, London. Born in Naples, she originally trained in architecture before transitioning into hospitality, where she discovered a passion for cocktail creation and guest experience.

Giovanni Bruno (Bar Manager, Lavo Marina Bay Sands, Singapore)
Giovanni "Gio" Bruno is an Italian bar manager from Basilicata who began his hospitality career at 14. After gaining experience across Italy, he moved to London in 2008, working with Hilton before joining The Berkeley's Blue Bar, where he rose to Head Bartender and led cocktail menu development. In 2025, he relocated to Singapore and is now Bar Manager at LAVO, bringing international experience and Italian flair to his role.

Damiano Coren (Sant Ambroeus - Casa Lever Hospitality Group)
Damiano, a native of Rome, Italy, has spent much of his life in hospitality, beginning at Hotel de Russie before continuing his career in London at The Lonsdale Bar and The Dorchester Hotel. He later moved to New York City, working with award-winning teams at Employees Only and Macao Trading Co., and went on to become Head Bartender at Café Standard at The Standard, East Village. In 2017, he returned to Macao Trading Co. as Bar Manager and Wine Director after earning his Certified Sommelier qualification. Since 2021, he has focused on his beverage consulting company, working with major hospitality groups including S.A. Hospitality, and since 2025, has served as Director of Cocktail Programming, leading menu development, training, and beverage strategy across the organisation.

The most delicious yet easy-to-replicate recipes will receive the highest scores, awarded for:

Taste = out of 50 points
Ease to replicate = out of 20 points
Cocktail name = out of 10 points
Photo/video = out of 10 points
Broad appeal/potential to become a contemporary classic = out of 10 points

Rules

1. The competition is open to professional bartenders and home cocktail makers worldwide.

2. Recipes entered must be the original creation of the competitor, and if a competitor is thought to have plagiarised a known, existing cocktail, they will be disqualified. [Please use Difford's Cocktail Finder to check for combinations of the same ingredients.]

3. Ingredients must be easily available the world over and cannot be homemade.

4. Batching, infusing and pre-combining of ingredients is not permitted.

5. Recipes must be submitted with an accompanying photograph, which will be included in the judge's evaluation and contribute to scoring.

6. Cocktails may be hand-stirred, hand-shaken, thrown or blended, served hot, straight-up, or served over cubed, cracked or crushed ice.

7. Garnishes must be edible but may be mounted on sticks, skewers, straws, forks or other such common bar accessories. Use of edible fruits, herbs, leaves and spices may include sprigs, peels, barks, fruit shells etc. Any flowers and petals used must be of an edible variety.

8. By entering this competition, competitors agree to assign the copyright of their recipe and drink name to Odd Firm of Sin Ltd (Difford's Guide) and Pallini S.p.A.

9. Drink names, including rude, lurid, sexual words or words associated with narcotics or motor vehicles, are prohibited.

10. The competition organisers reserve the right to make the final decision on any matter relating to the competition's judging.