Italicus Cocktail Competition

Bartenders have competed in the Art of Italicus competition since 2018, but this is the first Italicus competition to be open to home enthusiasts.
Simply create your recipe, to include at least 30ml (1oz) of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur and ENTER the competition here, then upload your recipe to Difford's Guide.

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, ingredients should be easily available, and recipes should not require homemade ingredients.

Cocktails based on 7 or fewer ingredients are preferred.

Cocktails may be long or short drinks (not shots), with a minimum finished volume of 90ml (3oz).

This competition is open to home cocktail enthusiasts anywhere in the world, other than France. (Sorry!)

Key Dates

• 1 September 2026 – Rosolio Day – Competition opens for entries
• 11 October 2026 – entries close at midnight GMT
• 24 October 2026 – Winner announced

Prize bundle

The winner will receive:

• 1 limited edition Italicus Decimo bottle
• 1 Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto bottle
• 6 Italicus Spritz Glasses
• The Italicus book
• A signed Difford's Guide book
• A Difford's Shaker bundle
• A Difford's Stirring bundle

The runner-up will receive:

• 1 limited edition Italicus Decimo bottle
• 1 Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto bottle
• 6 Italicus Spritz Glasses

Judging

Entries will be judged by an industry panel including Simon Difford.

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. Entries must include at least 30ml (1oz) of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur.

2. The competition is open to non-professional bartenders of legal drinking age in any country other than France.
3. 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.]
4. Ingredients must be easily available the world over and cannot be homemade.
5. Batching, infusing and pre-combining of ingredients is not permitted.
6. Recipes must be submitted with an accompanying photograph, which will be included in the judge's evaluation and contribute to scoring.
7. By entering this competition, competitors agree to assign the copyright of their submitted images, videos, recipes, and related content to Odd Firm of Sin Ltd (Difford's Guide) and Pernod Ricard.
8. The organisers reserve the right to modify the regulations for organisational reasons or force majeure; participation implies full and unconditional acceptance of the rules, and the organiser is not responsible for delays, travel restrictions, or logistical issues beyond its control.
9. The organisers reserve the right to make the final decision on any matter relating to the competition's judging.
10. Cocktail names, including rude, lurid, sexual words or words associated with narcotics or motor vehicles, are prohibited.