Pallini Limoncello Cocktail Competition
Words by Simon Difford
In conjunction with Pallini, the world's leading limoncello, we're inviting professional bartenders and home cocktail makers alike to enter cocktail recipes into our competition. The best in each category, professional and home enthusiast, will win cash prizes! Simply create and upload your cocktail recipe with Pallini Limoncello to Difford's Guide via the ENTER link below.
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. I've produced an extensive list of commonplace ingredients, and along with any of these, naturally, cocktails must be based on at least 15ml (½oz) of Pallini Limoncello.
Cocktails may be in the form of long or short drinks (not shots) with a minimum of 90ml (3oz) liquid volume.
Cocktails based on four or fewer ingredients are preferred. (Solid garnishes are not considered ingredients. And if a citrus fruit zest is specified as a garnish, it is acceptable to spray it over the cocktail.)
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
The winning professional bartender and home enthusiast will each receive €500, with a further €250 for each of the two runners-up.
Key Dates
Friday 4th April 2025 – Competition open for entries
Wednesday 30th April 2025 midnight G.M.T. – Competition closes for entries
Thursday 17th May 2025 – Winners announced
Judging
A panel of judges, including yours truly, will assess all cocktail recipes entered and accompanying photographs. 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
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.
