2024 national finalists

Italicus Art of Aperitivo Challenge 2024

Country finalists for the 6th Edition of the Art of Italicus - Aperitivo Challenge - are announced!

Italicus is once again on a quest to find the best art-inspired aperitivo cocktail and award its creator the coveted title of 'Italicus Bar Artist of the Year 2024' and on 5 March 2024 has announced the country finalists.

The finalists from each of the countries can be found below:

Croatia & Slovenia

Samo Simjanovski | Kavarna Moderna | Ljubljana

Alen Šišić | Napoleon Caffe | Črnomelj

Tristan Romih | Dobrine | Celje

Gal Aleksej | Restaurant Milka | Kranjska Gora

Benjamin Skafar | Hotel Lonca | Škofja Loka

Jan Križaj | Kavarna Moderna | Ljubljana

Lovro Vetrih | Niagara Cocktail Bar | Maribor

Mauro Buljanović | Beach Bar Bamboo | Pag

Italy

Federico Altamura | MAG Cafe | Milan

Flavio Feola | The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel | Rome

Alessandro Zampieri | Il Mercante | Venice

Stefano Milici | Gusto Papilla | Patti

Alex De Maria | Cotton Club | Modena

Mattia Ilari | 19.86 | Faenza

Michael Collovigh | Gucci Giardino 25 | Florence

Candela Ferros | Eye Cocktail Bar - Atto di Vito Mollica | Florence

France

Nicolas Simeonidis | Boubalé | Paris

Pierre Dieusaert | Le Bar 300 | Roquebrune Cap Martin

Lucas Fossier | Le Fantôme de L'Opéra | Lyon

Mattia Galantino | Drinks & Co | Paris

Régis Celabe | Independant bartender | Paris

Maureen Cadet | Chateau de la Gaude | Aix-en-Provence

Margot Crété | L'Absinthe | Rouen

Aurélien Ouillon | Marié | Lyon

Greece

Fotis Gavalas | NYX Japanese Gastrobar | Athens

Panagiotis Mourelatos | The Dalliance House | Athens

Tasos Korakis | Tanpopo Athens / Bostani Sifnos | Athens/Sifnos

Eleni Karatzoglou | Fika | Drama

Chris Agortzas | Shake Me Up | Kallithea Halkidikis

Nikos Kouvatsis | Koùva | Lefkada

Georgios Spanos | Kamini Cocktail Bar | Parga

Hong Kong

Pei Cheung | Bar Anima | Hong Kong

Ming Yiu Chan | Darkside Rosewood | Hong Kong

Man Hin Kou | Room309 | Hong Kong

Hasting Ng | Blossom | Hong Kong

Lau Ka Yee | Room309 | Hong Kong

Jeffrey Ng | 1 | Hong Kong

Ka Chun Wong| The Poet | Hong Kong

Lincoln Yeung | Mirage Bar & Restaurant at Renaissance Harbour View Hotel | Hong Kong

Hungary

Rudolf Szám | WarmUp Cocktail Bar | Budapest

Máté Steier | Virtu | Budapest

Attila Szabó | Ritz-Carlton Kupola Bar | Budapest

Bence Kelemen | Blackswan Lab | Budapest

Mihálffy Boldizsár | Neverland Bar | Budapest

Enikő Palánkay | WarmUp | Budapest

Roland Nagy | Alice Hotel | Budapest

Ádám Szondi | Hotsy Totsy | Budapest

Norway

Kim Seach | Bar 1893 | Bergen

Valerio Sabatiieli | Pier 42 | Oslo

Anastasios Giatras | The Conduit | Oslo

Przemysław Kraus | Secret Cocktail Bar | Porsgrunn

Bread Christensen | Club 21 | Kristiansand

Ola Kinserdal | Attrå | Larvik

Grigoris Mountanos | Sommerro House | Oslo

Spain

Vincenzo Amorese | Bad Company | Madrid

Stefano Pen | Monk | Barcelona

Esmeralda Castrogiovanni | Sips Drinkery | Barcelona

Oleksandr Danilov | Residence | Bilbao

Juan Ramon Alcalde Nosti | Coupette & Co | Ibiza

Edward Baez Sergura | Mandarin Oriental Ritz | Madrid

Maurizio Santo Carlea | Paradiso | Barcelona

Ruben Sudmeier | Hāfu | Salamanca

Sweden

Karl Stefansson | Soho House | Stockholm

Arber Bamci| Rooftop Brasserie Draken | Gothenbourg

Marcus Schill Jansson | Villa Dagmar | Stockholm

Martin Forsmark | Hotel Kung Carl | Stockholm

Victor Nordelöf | Boqueria | Stockholm

Christian Labbate | Cadier Bar | Stockholm

Daniel Seehuusen | Hotel Riviera | Båstad

Maria Hallhagen | Gondolen | Stockholm

Switzerland

National finalists to be announced next week.

United Kingdom

Maia Mandell| Sexy Fish | London

Caron Richmond| Panda & Sons | Edinburgh

Brandon Stead | 45 West Gin and Cocktail Bar | Leicester

Ben Kendrick | Speak In Code | Manchester

Emmy Pip Knight | The American Bar, Savoy Hotel | London

Aldo Chiantella | Viajante87 | London

Edoardo Folin | The Donovan Bar | London

Marie Nolin | The Coral Room | London

United States

Everyn Phoenix | Bisous | Chicago

Aline Tongkhuya | Modernist | Fresno

David Lozano | The Collab | Miami

Guchuan Yin | Double Chicken Please | New York

Alejandro Dominguez | Bar Calico | New York

Ayaka Yamamoto | Bar Moga | New York

Dmytro Shovkoplias | Medium Cool | Miami

Khori Ticer | Roosevelt Room | Austin

Wild Card

The winner of the Wild Card will be announced after all the National finals, mid-April 2024.

About the competition

The Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge is back for 2024 with its sixth edition. Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto invites bartenders across the globe to create an original aperitivo cocktail inspired by any form of art.

The Art of Italicus Aperitivo challenge is built on the belief that bartenders are artists and the program is designed to incentivise them to be as creative as possible by bringing the industry together to create art-inspired cocktails that best represent an elevated aperitivo experience, whilst showcasing the Italicus spirit through creative liquid expressions.

Giuseppe Gallo, founder and CEO of Italicus, says: "Now in its sixth year, The Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge celebrates aperitivo culture while encouraging bartenders to express their creativity, looking to art in its various forms as way of inspiration. Meeting with the industry's emerging talent through this program gives me a great deal of pride and is something I hope continues for many years as a way of keeping our community connected, working together and empowering one another."

The prize

The global winner will be crowned 'Italicus Bar Artist of the Year 2024' and have the opportunity to experience a mentorship program with world-famous bar, Café La Trova by Julio Cabrera. The trip to Miami will also be filmed by crew documenting the experience to create a documentary video to be released on social media.

National Finals

Taking place from March to April, the national finals will be a chance for the shortlisted bartenders to present their cocktail creation to the panel of judges. They will have eight minutes to do so and must include at least three serves. Each national final winner will not only take the title of 'Italicus Bar Artist of their country 2024' but will also win an all-expenses paid trip to compete in the global final in Rome.

Global Final

All national finalists will come together in Rome on May 12th, 2024, to compete in the global final before one individual is awarded the exclusive title of 'Italicus Bar Artist of the Year 2024', and that once in a lifetime prize: an exclusive mentorship opportunity with Café La Trova, voted 24th in the World's 50 Best Bars list 2023.

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