Luca Menegazzo is the 2020 Digital Recorder Mixer

Luca Menegazzo , born in 1988, has been behind the counter of the Extremadura Caffé in Verbania for 10 years, the 2020 Digital Record Mixer .

In this edition of the futurist competition organized by the Giulio Cocchi house in Asti and open to aspiring international futurist mixers, video recipes have come from all over the world : from California to New Zealand via the Balearic islands and Costa Rica.

To adapt to the current situation, which did not allow live events, the 2020 edition took place entirely digitally: a challenge for the participants, who had to try their hand at creating a polybibite and in the task of telling it to a remotely connected jury . Challenge brilliantly overcome by the participants, who have created excellent videos and original recipes, waiting to be able to return to a "live" event in the next edition.

In an initial phase of the competition, the videos, published on Facebook in a special playlist on Giulio Cocchi's page, were voted on by the public. The sum between the popular vote and that of the technical jury that assessed its historical adherence to the New Manifest of the Futurist Mixing decided the finalists videos.

The six finalists then confronted each other on 20 July during a digital event in which they quickly recreated their respective competition polibibite in front of a jury of experts.

The jury included: the CEO Giulio Cocchi, Roberto Bava ; the expert bartender of Futurism, author of the book "Futurist Mixing" Fulvio Piccino ; the 10th Head bartender of the legendary American Bar of the Savoy Hotel in London, today at the helm of the Kwant Bar, Erik Lorincz ; the Most Imaginative Bartender For 2020 , in force at Le Sirenuse in Miami, Valentino Longo . During the digital event there was a way to investigate the choice of ingredients and techniques with targeted questions from the judges and the spectacular preparation was considered.

Marco Ghidorzi from Modena came second (Reset, Modena, with the "Pe (n) saparole" polybibita), third - ex aequo - Alessio Ciucci (Vetralla, in the province of Viterbo, Borgo la Chiaracia Resort & Spa - Radici Restaurant, polybibita # Garden gate) and Manuel Monetti (Rome, Blackmarket Hall - Rione Monti, polybibita "Il Mieloso"). The mixers Giuseppe Assenza (polybibita "Arsura") and Gian Maria Ciardulli (polybibita "Italian Enhancer") also took part in the final six

All videos can be viewed at this link: bit.ly/3g76zwK

Luca Menegazzo therefore enrolls his name in the roll of honor of the competition in which those of Cinzia Ferro (winner of the title in 2016 with the polybibita "Svetta"), Elisa Favaron (who won the victory in 2017 with the polybibita) "La Sfacciata") and Salvatore Vita (National Record Mixer in 2018 with the polybibita "L'elettrodisiaca").

Roberto Bava's comment: "The Futurist Mixing competition is confirmed, also in this complex year, the opportunity to express a" summa "of creativity. Not just an all-Italian way of mixing, with the use of liquor products national history, but an experience that continues to offer incredible ideas today as in the 1930s, enhancing the Italian genius ".

Fulvio Piccinino says: "The Futurist Mixing, to which for six years we have restored vitality with the publication of two editions of the volume dedicated to it, seminars all over the world, competitions, continues to maintain its creative charge high: evolved and renewed in these years, demonstrating how, thanks to its solid historical roots, one can authoritatively speak of a style, not a simple fashion ".

THE RECIPE OF THE WINNING POLIBIBITY

Meeting in Rijeka Category of the polybibita: Prestinletto

3 cl Americano Cocchi 2 cl Aurum 1 cl Grappa Nardini 3 cl Goat's milk Vapo di Sangue Morlacco Luxardo Pepino cream ice cream

Heat everything and pour into a cup with a scoop of Pepino cream ice cream.

This is Luca Menegazzo's comment: "In this virtual race there was no lack of tension, adrenaline, passion for Italian excellence and futuristic mixing: the level of competition was high, even in this" historic "2020 edition. Thanks to all organization and all those who supported me until the final " .

The prize:

Luca Menegazzo has conquered an "Ardito Destrutturata Gomma Mixer" - sculpture in limited edition of 50 copies, autographed and numbered by the artist Diego Maria Gugliermetto, who represents the futurist mixer in the act of his mission: the preparation of the perfect polybibita - beyond at a weekend guest of Giulio Cocchi in Cocconato.

FUTURIST MIXING - Futuristic mixing has been rediscovered in recent years thanks to the studies of the barman and expert Fulvio Piccinino and the tireless work of Giulio Cocchi together with other historic houses of Italian liquoristics (in particular they supported this cultural operation in addition to Cocchi also Alpestre, Campari, Fabbri, Luxardo, Nardini, Pallini, Strega, Tassoni and Vecchia Romagna).

Since 2014, in many seminars around the world (from the Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans to the MoMa in New York, from the Bar Convent in Berlin to the Salone del Gusto in Turin via the Athens Bar Show to Germany and China ) Cocchi and Piccinino spread the Futurist verb by collecting curiosity and consensus.

In October 2014, a bilingual Italian and English volume "La Futurista Mixing - The autarchic Italian response to cocktails from the 1930s" was published, reprinted in 2016, which recounts the adventure of the Futurista Mixing, recreates the classic polybibite and is in a very short time it became the Bible of futurist neo-mixers, proclaimed in New Orleans among the 10 best books in the world on the topic of mixed drinking.