The Winners Will Be Invited to Showcase Their Creations at the Global Final This July
ROME, ITALY (May 14, 2025) – Today, ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto announces the national finalists for the seventh edition of the Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge, a global cocktail competition celebrating the creativity and craft of bartenders reimagining the modern spritz.
The challenge, now in its seventh year, continues to shine a spotlight on innovative talent across the world. Bartenders were asked to create an original aperitivo-style cocktail using a minimum of 40ml ITALICUS, with inspiration drawn from any art form — from sculpture to cinema.
Finalists from participating countries including the UK, USA, France, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Hungary, Germany, New Zealand, and the Wild Card entry, will go on to compete in their National Finals during May and June 2025. The winners will be invited to showcase their creations at the Global Final on 7th July 2025, hosted at the stunning Blue Gin Bar in Monaco, France.
The national finalists for the 2025 edition are:
UK
Andres Villagomez | Side Hustle/Nomad | London
Samuel Plumb | Sterling Bar | Manchester
Lorenzo Barra | Archive & Myth | London
Dionysios Tzorouchof | Twice Shy | London
Callum Lister | Common’s Club | Edinburgh
Daniele Fierro | The Guards Bar & Lounge at The Raffles Hotel | London
Jelena Bulatovskaja | Sexy Fish | London
David Purkiss | Lab 22 | Cardiff
USA
Kevan Ash | The Roosevelt Room | Austin
Dragan Milivojevic | Papercut | Austin
Victor Uceda-Vereau | Bar Kaiju | Miami
Juan Jose Pulgarin Morales | Maple and Ash | Chicago
Jason Trevino | Double Chicken Please | New York City
Joseph Venezia | Marcelino’s | Boston
Daniel Torres | Funke/Bar Funke | Beverly Hills
David Lozano | ORO | Miami
Angel Ricardo Rodríguez Herrera | Bijou | CDMX
France
Connan Henry-Madden | Un Bar avec des Formes pour Nom | Bordeaux
Donovan Chouari | Bar 1802 | Paris
Polina Kirdohlo | Bistro Renee | Nice
Miguel Teixeira | Renard Bar | Paris
Nicolas Bracq | Le Prechoir | Rouen
Anthony Teyssier | Mimo | Lyon
Lucas Nardin | Red Poppy | Paris
Archie Lees | Tribe | Courbevoie
Italy
Valerio Izzo | SHUB | Sorrento
Marco Colasanti | Depero | Rieti
Vincenzo Palumbo | L’antiquario | Napoli
Nausica Vitali | Pastificio San Lorenzo | Rome
Alia Melis | Rita’s Tiki Room | Milano
Edoardo Bullio | Romeo Cocktail Bar | Verona
Giorgia Fornaciari | Stravinskij Bar at Hotel De Roussie | Rome
Ivan Forcieri | Libertine | Montecatini Terme
Spain
Almudena Castro | Dr.Stravinsky | Barcelona
Cristina Raulea | Naked and Famous | Sevilla
Vincenzo Amorese | Bad Company 1920 | Madrid
Ainara Fernández | CREAM Coffee & Cocktail | Almeria
Maurizio Santo Carlea | Soho House | Barcelona
Lewis Kay | Two Schmucks | Barcelona
Angel García | El coleccionista | Madrid
Carlos Mendoza | Selvatico la minilla | Las Palmas De Gran Canaria
Hong Kong
Luna Fukuhara | Gokan | Central
Tsz Ting Adela Au | To Autumn | Tuen Mun
Shing Fei Lee | Dio West Kowloon | Kowloon
Harveer Singh | Champagne Bar Grand Hyatt | Wan chai
Wong Chung Hang Jackie | Quinary | Hong Kong
Chaser, Wai Yim Lo | Red Sugar, Kerry Hotel | Hong Kong
Wing Yi Law | ohm… Cafe and Bar | Hong Kong
Cheuk Fung Lee | Soho House | Hong Kong
Hungary
Mirjam Szabo | Tuk Tuk Bar | Budapest
Péter Gelencsér | Black Swan | Budapest
Bence Stadler | Virtu Restaurant | Budapest
Máté Főnyedi | Hotsy Totsy | Budapest
Nazif Ezer | Türkız Budapest | Budapest
Péter Kovács | Blue Fox the Bar | Budapest
Bence Németh | Higgi the Tiki | Győr
Jánoczki Ádám | Beerstro Steakhouse | Budapest
Germany
Jan Sporleder | Bar Seibert | Kassel
Chiara Dzemajlji | Toddy Tapper | Cologne
Adelina Schefferski | Hamburg
Tomislav Martinek | Nightflight Bar | München
Clara Schoper | Zephyr Bar | München
Carsten Fuchs | Petit Frere | Köln
Dimitrios Demertzis | Bar Montez | Munich
Mario Schulz | Bar Montez | Munich
New Zealand
Jack Driver | Regent | Wellington
Eliot Youmans | Bedford Soda & Liquor | Auckland
Michael Jones | NoLoPlus | Wellington
Dewi Barbieri | Amano | Auckland
Cal Ross | Panacea | Auckland
Dayyana Dimitrova | Jacuzzi | Auckland
Wild Card
Noemi Marras | Widder Bar | Zurich
The 2025 ITALICUS Bar Artist of the Year will receive a bespoke mentorship program, including exclusive access to top international bar industry events, alongside a rare opportunity to collaborate with Lorenzo Antinori, founder of Bar Leone – Asia’s Best Bar 2024 and #2 in the world.
“With each year, the Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge continues to champion the aperitivo ritual while honouring bartenders as true artists,” says Founder and CEO, Giuseppe Gallo. “This edition brings a renewed focus on reimagining the spritz—a timeless serve—through the lens of modern creativity.”
ITALICUS Rosolio Di Bergamotto is available in a 750ml bottle at 20% ABV from retailers including Curiada at an SRP of $41.99.
Instagram: @italicusrdb
Facebook: @ItalicusAperitivo
Website: https://rosolioitalicus.com
About the ITALICUS® Aperitivo Challenge
The Art of Italicus challenge was born in 2018, as a Bartenders’ program to honor that bartenders are artists. The challenge was created as an advocacy platform, amplifying awareness and connecting creative bartenders globally, through educational and innovative programs.
Kicking off in January, The Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo competition invites bartenders from around the world to create an original and unique aperitivo cocktail inspired by any form of art and crafted using the irreplaceable ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto.
About ITALICUS® Rosolio Di Bergamotto
ITALICUS was created by the authority of Italian spirits, Giuseppe Gallo, to bring back the forgotten Rosolio category. With key notes of Calabrian bergamot, ITALICUS is made using the finest Italian ingredients to create a sip of Italy. The striking bottle design embodies the history and heritage of Italy’s distinctive regions, while telling the story of Rosolio’s time-honored traditional drinking occasion of Aperitivo.
ITALICUS is one of the top awarded aperitivo brands globally. ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto was awarded Best New Spirit 2017 at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, and Top Trending Liqueur Brand by Drinks International in the years from 2019 to 2023.
Additional awards include: DOUBLE GOLD – World Wine Spirits Trophy 2021; Italian Aperitif of the year GOLD MEDAL – NYISC 2021 and 2016; Tasting GOLD medal 2018, 2019 – Women & Wine and spirits awards; Best New European Spirit at the Mixology Awards 2017 in Berlin; Best Product at FIBAR 2017; Packaging awards GOLD MEDAL 2017 and Contemporary Awards TROPHY – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2017; Packaging Trophy – Harpers Design 2017; Gold Medal – San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017; Platinum Best of Luxury – Pentawards 2017; Best New Product – Bar Awards 2016; EXCEPTIONAL quality certificate – Difford’s Guide 2016.
About Giuseppe Gallo
Giuseppe Gallo is one of the world’s most respected bartenders and drinks-industry innovators, with an unrivaled passion for the drinks business and an inimitable source of knowledge and insight into the world of aperitivo. Hailing from the Amalfi Coast, his passion for mixology stems from his strong Italian heritage. Giuseppe is widely considered a vermouth expert and he has spent over 15 years traveling the world and educating consumers and professionals on the category. This work has culminated in winning ‘International Ambassador of the Year’ at the prestigious awards in the drinks industry, Tales Of The Cocktail’s Spirited Awards in 2014. In September 2016 he created Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto which reinvigorated a forgotten aperitivo category, which has won countless industry awards since its launch. In 2019, Giuseppe launched the Roma Bar Show, the first-ever international cocktail festival in the country.
