Are you a great bartender or mixologist? Would you like to be? Do you think you have what it takes to create a a great, new, cocktail? Do you remember last spring when I competed in the Clement Cocktail Challenge? Well, I just got an email I would like to share with all you Slashfoodies. The Italian amaro (bitters) company, Averna, has teamed up with Imbibe Magazine to have a cocktail competition and you are invited to submit your own Averna based cocktail. Five finalists will win a trip to Italy to compete for the grand prize. Here's the press release so you can read the details. Good Luck!

December 12, NEW YORK, NY -Paolo Domeneghetti, founder and CEO of Averna importer DSWE, announced the 'Averna HAVE Cocktail Competition,' which will run for the entire first quarter of 2008. "For over a century Averna has been Italy's favorite Amaro and a back bar staple for restaurants and bars all over Europe and the US," said Mr. Domeneghetti. "With the launch of our new HAVE campaign and the upcoming cocktail competition, we're encouraging bartenders to think creatively about Averna and Italian cocktails, and mix Averna in great new recipes."

The cocktail competition will run from January 1st through March 31st with entry forms available on the newly launched Averna USA website (www.avernausa.com) and through Averna distributors. A judging panel of leading spirits experts will select winners from five regions: New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco (entries from other regions will be grouped in one of the five regions according to geography). One winner from each of the five regions will win a trip to Sicily to compete in the finals at the Averna distillery. The grand prize winner will also receive a $1,500 American Express gift card.

I have been a huge fan of Averna for years," said noted mixologist Duggan McDonnell whose recipes with Averna offer a uniquely Italian flair. "It has great complexity and its herbal flavors offer up all kinds of creative cocktail possibilities."

About Averna
Averna (www.averna.it), Italy's favorite Amaro and the first licensed spirit in Sicily, is distilled from an all-natural blend of herbs, dried flowers, spices and licorice. The recipe for Averna is a closely guarded secret of Fratelli Averna S.p.A., a fourth-generation family-run company based in Caltanissetta, Sicily. Traditionally a soothing after-dinner drink, or digestivo, known for its distinctively delicious bitter sweet taste profile, Averna is now being discovered by bartenders and cocktail lovers as a versatile mixer for a variety of drink recipes.