A Costa del Sol ice cream parlour boasts Europe’s official gelato flavour of the year for 2026.
The winning creation is called Melody, and combines a smooth, creamy base with orange sauce and a pistachio ripple, topped with crunchy pieces of the nut.
It is served at Sicilia Gelati, located in the expat haven of Torre del Mar.
Juanma Guerrero, the master gelato maker behind the creation, won the European competition in May to create this year’s signature flavour for European Artisanal Gelato Day.
The recipe was selected during SIGEP World, a major international food and hospitality fair held in Rimini, Italy, where Guerrero competed against gelato makers from across Europe.
It has since been adopted as the official flavour of European Artisanal Gelato Day 2026 and promoted by ice cream parlours across the continent.
This year’s event was inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest and carried the theme The Gelato That Makes Europe Sing.
Melody was the name of last year’s Spanish contestant.
Guerrero described his creation as a carefully balanced recipe that allowed its principal ingredients to speak for themselves.
‘Three ingredients, without disguises or artifice,’ he said.
‘True gelato does not need to hide behind excess. It needs balance, precision and absolute respect for the raw material.’
While some local reports described the citrus element as mandarin and the creamy base as ricotta, the official Gelato Day recipe identifies its principal elements as a creamy base, pistachio sauce, pistachio pieces and delicate orange sauce.
The European competition was organised by Artglace, the European Confederation of Artisan Gelato Associations.
Guerrero’s recipe was chosen to represent the 14th edition of European Artisanal Gelato Day, which is celebrated annually on March 24.
It is the only officially recognised European day dedicated by the European Parliament to a specific food product.
Participating gelato makers across Europe were invited to reproduce the original Melody recipe or create their own local interpretations of it.
Sicilia Gelati can be found at number 1 Paseo de Larios, close to the seafront in Torre del Mar.
Alongside Melody, its selection includes familiar flavours such as chocolate, pistachio, fruit, Oreo and Kinder with hazelnut cream.
More experimental combinations have included white chocolate and basil, kiwi and celery, and a spiced flavour incorporating star anise, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg.
