The FIOL Master Competition is open for entries!

FIOL Prosecco is challenging UK bartenders to create an original sparkling cocktail. Don't delay...you could be in with a chance to win exclusive prizes, an all expenses paid trip to Italy and the title of the FIOL Master 2024!

The team at FIOL are searching for new original cocktails which showcase the flavour profile of FIOL Prosecco or FIOL Rosé Prosecco, putting sparkling wine at the heart of the cocktail. Make it the star of the show!

How to enter

Once you've created your cocktail and are happy with the recipe, head over to the FIOL Master website to submit your entry.

Share your recipe on Instagram tagging @FIOLProsecco, @kevin_kos, @kaitlinwilkesback and add hashtags #fiolmaster, #FIOLprosecco #BeFIOL to your post.

The judges will review all entries and make their selection of the top eight cocktails from the UK to progress to the National Final, in London.

National Final

The eight national finalists will be asked to present four serves of their cocktail in eight minutes to Kevin Kos and the National judging panel.

Global Final

The UK winner will be invited to attend the Global Final where they will be joined by other national winners to compete in a grand final head-to-head.

The Global Final will take place at the beautiful Villa Tiepolo Passi, FIOL's brand home in Treviso, Italy in October 2024.

Global winner prizes

Other than the trip to Italy to compete in the Global Final (a prize in itself!), the Global FIOL Master champion will also receive:
- The FIOL Master 2024 title.
- An exclusive guest shift with bartender Kevin Kos at an international bar in one of FIOLs markets.
- A personalised mentorship program with cocktail expert Kaitlin Wilkes focusing on skill enhancement, guidance and career development support.
- And, a year's supply of FIOL Prosecco!

Timings

The entry period for UK entries closes on August 22nd 2024 on the FIOL Masters website.
The UK National Final will take place in London on September 10th 2024.
The Global Final will be held in Italy in October 2024.

Italian-based bartenders, stay tuned because FIOL Master is also coming to you in September with the final being held at the Amalfi Cocktail Week.

Additional information can be found on the FIOL Master website.

Looking for recipe inspiration?

You'll find below two recipes created by Kevin Kos, and you can also view more prosecco cocktails on Difford's Guide here

Negroni Pianificato (The VeMiTo Cocktail)

• 90 ml Sparkling Vermouth
  
• 30 ml FIOL Prosecco
• 7.5 ml Campari
• 1 dash 20% Saline Solution

DOCtor Giovanni

• 90 ml FIOL Prosecco
• 7.5 ml Parmesan Liqueur*
• 7.5 ml White Cacao Liqueur
• 2 dashes Pimento Bitters
• 3 drops White Peppercorn Drops*
• Ruby Chocolate Drops

How to make Kevin's homemade ingredients

*Sparkling vermouth
Combine the vermouth base with FIOL Prosecco.

To make the Vermouth Base:
300mL · 11oz Calvados
295g Sugar
4g Dried Orange Peel
6g Fresh Lemon Peel
0.12g Dried Thyme
0.56g Dried Basil
1.6g Rose Buds
1g Crushed Hibiscus
0.5g Wormwood
0.1g Cinchona Bark

I'll be using a sous vide cooker for the most control over temperature, but first, I'll dissolve the sugar in the Calvados. This will take quite some time, so I'm using my trusted magnetic stirrer to do this for me, and once that's done we'll add it to a sous vide bag and follow that with our botanicals, keeping in mind that the wormwood and Cinchona Bark go in whole, not crushed. Then try to get as much air out of the bag as possible, double seal the bag and place it in the sous vide bath.

We'll set this to 65°C, or 150°F, and we'll cook it for 2 hours. Even with all the sugar melted beforehand it's still a good idea to give everything a little shake at least once during the cooking process. Once it's done, remove the bag and let it cool completely, then cut it open and strain the liquid through a coffee filter. What you'll end up with is a vermouth base, with plenty of flavor and ABV, and this is what we'll add to our wine component, resulting in sparkling vermouth.

We ended up with around 450 ml of the concentrated vermouth base, which can be used to make around 1.5l of sparkling vermouth.

*Sparkling Vermouth
525mL · 17.5oz FIOL Prosecco
225mL · 7.5oz Vermouth Base

To make yourself a bottle of sparkling vermouth first pour out 225mL of FIOL Prosecco - I weighed the full bottle beforehand - then slowly pour in your Vermouth Base. We need a 7:3 ratio of FIOL Prosecco and Vermouth Base, so with that now close the bottle with a pressure stopper, pump up the pressure and gently turn the bottle to mix the ingredients. Place in the fridge for 1 hour for our sparkling vermouth to settle a bit, and once it's nicely chilled it's time to pour yourself a glass and give it a try.

*Parmesan Liqueur
135mL · 4.5oz Blended Scotch
15mL · 0.5oz Islay scotch
33g Freshly Grated Parmesan
48g Sugar
48g Whey

So to our blend of spirits add the freshly grated parmesan cheese, but avoid using powdered or pre-grated cheese as that contains anti-caking agents such as potato starch and powdered cellulose. Add everything into a sous vide bag, take out as much air as possible and seal the bag with a double seal. Then cook the mixture in a sous vide bath at 65°C for 2 hours. As always, give the bag a mix a few times during cooking.

In the meantime I'll make some whey. In case you can't find pure whey at your local supermarket, you can just add 250mL of full-fat milk to a saucepan, bring that to a simmer and add 11g of 6% citric acid solution so it curdles . Then to strain out the solids and end up with clear whey, I'll use a cloth filter. After doing this, enough time should've passed for our infusion to be done.

Cool down the mixture in cold water then place in the freezer to solidify the cheese first. This will make it possible to filter out the liquid through a coffee filter. I ended up with 4oz or 120mL of parmesan scotch. And for every 1oz or 30mL we need to add 12g of sugar and whey. So I added 48 g of sugar, and 48 g of whey. Mix this together with a magnetic stirrer, if you've already got one, or use a whisk.

Whey adds richness to the liqueur and since it's a by-product of cheese-making it makes perfect sense to use it. If needed you can refilter the liqueur after a few days, when it all settles, but all in all you should end up with about 200mL or 6.33oz of cheese liqueur.

*White Peppercorn Drops
5g White Pepper
45mL · 1.5oz Vodka
Start by crushing the pepper with a mortar and pestle. Add it to a small jar and cover with the vodka, and let this infuse for 3 to 7 days, depending on how intense you want the drops to be. I had this infusing for 4 days and I think it will be good, after which we'll filter through a rinsed coffee filter and pour into a small labeled dropper bottle.