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:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
National finalists to be announced next week.
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
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
The winner of the Wild Card will be announced after all the National finals, mid-April 2024.
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 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.
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.
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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