The 2024 Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge Names a U.S. Winner

The 2024 Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge has announced the winners of its U.S. competition. Nigel Yin of Double Chicken Please in New York took home top honors with his recipe, Bergamot Nomad, which combined ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto, bergamot juice, green tea mizu shochu, umeboshi brine, chamomile soda, and a garnish of umeboshi plum.

“It’s inspired by an art called ‘Japanese Landscape’ by Kiyohara Tama, who is a nomad Japanese artist but traveled to Italy around the 19th century,” says Yin. “Her work is a fusion of the Italian oil painting techniques with Japanese aesthetics and culture. Bergamot itself is also a nomad fruit originating from southeast Asia and traveled to Europe at around 1000 AD. The drink is a fusion of Italian aperitivo and Japanese shochu highball, just like bringing the bergamot nomad back to its origin.”

Second-place honors went to Dmytro Shovkopolias of Medium Cool in Miami. His cocktail, Timelapse, featured ITALICUS, smoked cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, and pink grapefruit soda. “The Timelapse cocktail is inspired by metaphysical art and is well connected to the aperitivo tradition as a social moment when we can put our daily routine on pause, taking time to enjoy delicious drinks,” says Shovkoplias. “Born in 1917, metaphysical painting is an Italian art movement through the work of Carlo Carra and Giorgio de Chirico in Ferrara. They depict fabulous images with figures and objects, naturally frozen in time, giving the viewer a sense of stepping out of reality to see things in new ways absent of preconceived meaning.” 

The competition’s third-place honors went to Ayaka Yamamoto of Bar Moga in New York. Yamamoto’s recipe, Prologue, combined ITALICUS with joto umeshu, citrus mix (lemon and yuzu), Peychaud’s bitters, prosecco, and a garnish of homemade umeshu jelly.  “The Prologue is inspired by the opera’s opening scene and the opera music, ‘Home Sweet Home,’ and my New York City story,” says Yamamoto. “Umeshu, my hometown aperitif drink, represents the warmth of the home that I miss. The Italian aperitif signifies my new life and chosen family in New York City. The cocktail itself is the bridge, blending both worlds like the ‘Home Sweet Home’ aria’s bittersweet emotions. It’s a celebration of my journey, new beginnings, and the enduring love for my roots.”

The Art of ITALICUS Aperitivo Challenge invites bartenders from around the world to create an original aperitivo cocktail showcasing ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto and inspired by any form of art. The U.S. finals took place at Carversteak in Las Vegas, and the judging panel included Imbibe Digital Content Editor Caroline Pardilla; ITALICUS founder Giuseppe Gallo; and Francesco Lafranconi, the VIP Hospitality and Beverage Director at Carver Road Group. Nigel Yin will go on to represent the U.S. in the globals finals happening on May 12 in Rome.