Campari’s Aperitivo contest

Campari has paired with the US Bartenders Guild (USBG) for its first-ever “Best Aperitivo” cocktail competition.

The contest, open to all active members of the USBG, aims to find the best pre-dinner aperitivo cocktail designed to stimulate the appetite.

The first round of regional heats, which opened in mid-March this year and closes on 15 April, saw “mix-offs” at the 29 local USBG chapters throughout the US.

Heat winners will go through to the final, held in New York on 13 May, during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.

Contestants in the final round will be judged by USBG president David Nepore, bartender Tony Abou-Ganim, mixologist Francesco Lafranconi and aperitivo expert Jacques Bezuidenhout. The overall winner will represent the US at the 2012 World Cocktail Championship in Beijing this October.

Jason Daniel, Campari brand manager, said: “The bartending community has demonstrated amazing loyalty to Campari over the past 150 years. Today, they have reintroduced Campari to cocktail enthusiasts and foodies through their innovative drinks and have kindled the current aperitivo trend in America.”

Aperitivo-style cocktails are growing in popularity in the US, offering a new platform for innovation including barrel-aged cocktails, in-house carbonation and pre-bottled cocktails.

“Aperitivo cocktails have achieved unprecedented popularity from coast to coast in the US, thanks in large part to the revival of the Negroni, Campari’s signature cocktail,” said Abou-Ganim. “We’re delighted that Italy’s sophisticated version of ‘Happy Hour’ has taken root in America’s drinking culture. This competition will help spotlight the category’s best of the best and will introduce new classic aperitivos to the cocktail pantheon.”