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Italicus unveils finalists for aperitivo challenge

Italian liqueur Italicus has revealed the global finalists of its Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge after receiving 1,200 entries.

The global finals will take place on 29 May this year in Rome, Italy

The competition challenges bartenders across the world to craft an aperitivo-style cocktail recipe inspired by any form of art, using a minimum 40ml of Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto.

With more than 1,200 entries from 15 different countries, finalists have been selected from the UK, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Austria, France, and the US.

The finalists are in the running to be crowned Bar Artist of the Year.

In the UK, finalists include: Ilaria Carone, creator of The Signora Pichera at Annabel’s, London; Hyppolite Civins, creator of The Primary 3, at Quaglino’s, London; and Roland Ecsedi, who concocted The Mattini at The Ivy Cardiff.

Meanwhile in Italy, the finalists comprise Alice Michela Musso, who made The Timeless at The Blind Pig in Rome; and Valerio Sordi, creator of The Kintsugi at House of Ronin in Milan.

In Greece, Alexandros Aggelis swayed judges with The Altered State at Umi Bar Matsuhisa, Athens.

Switzerland saw Matthieu Doucet bag a finalist spot for his The G-Fun, At Canvas Bar At The Dolder, in Zurich.

In Spain, Miguel Angel Alarcon Gutiérrez impressed judges with The Dots at Kyoudai33 in Barcelona, while in the United States Meg Benshalom displayed her skills with The Starry Night at Mourad in San Francisco.

This year, entrants are said to have taken inspiration from art consisting of architecture, photography and literature. Sustainability appeared to be a stand-out theme, with entrants choosing to use left-over ingredients in their submissions, as well as street art.

The competition is in its fourth year, and UK entries are said to have grown by 30% since its last in-person iteration.

The global finals, featuring a further shortlisted selection of contestants, will be taking place in Rome, Italy, on 29 May 2022.

Last year, the brand unveiled a global art contest inviting participants to submit works that ‘reimagine’ cities across the world.

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