Italy has emerged triumphant at this year's 42 Below Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand.

Team Italy (Danielle Dalla Pola, Alexander Frezzai and Luca Sai) was lowest-ranked throughout this week's Carnival of the Cocktail, until a performance in the final saw them finish ahead of the US by less than half a percentage point.

Salvatore Calabrese, a judge at the event, commented that the team illustrated the 'brotherhood of bartending'. Drinks writer Dave Wondrich, also on the judging panel, said: 'The standard of the competitors and the competition itself is like nothing I have ever experienced before.'

In second place, the US team created a cocktail called a PT Pear Fizz, while Team Scotland, dressed in lycra bodysuits, earned themselves third place with their drink, Let's Get Fizzical.

Elisir D'Amore
2011 Cocktail World Cup Champions Team Italy
45 ml pineapple and black pepper-infused 42BELOW
5 ml lavender-infused 42BELOW
20 ml limoncello
15 ml orange, lemon and ginger syrup
5 ml Chambord
50 ml fresh pineapple juice
2 dashes Fernet Branca
Shake with ice. Strain into a bottle, serves two.

News item from Imbibe.com, 18-03-2011