There's a revolution going on in cocktail culture. Gourmet ingredients and techniques have burst out of the kitchen and invaded the bar. Talented mixologists are ushering in a new era of culinary influences, and collaborating with chefs to introduce an explosion of new cocktail ingredients ranging from exotic fruits to spices which were formerly purely in the domain of the kitchen.

Drink expert Jonah Buttz, formerly of Tara 57 cites a movement in Shanghai toward meticulous crafting of cocktails with fresh ingredients. One of Tara 57's refreshing tipples, the Metropolitan, now whipped up by bartender Ken Huang, combines vodka, raspberry puree and lime juice.

Jay Zhen, 26, roomtwentyeight's bar manager, started incorporating Thai herbs in cocktails when he worked in Dubai. Now at roomtwentyeight, he serves an inventive drink list, including the luscious Emma Peel Martini with fresh watermelon. "I like to use herbs like basil, lemongrass, ginger and tropical fruits," he says. Zhen explains that young bartenders have picked up on innovative trends by observing top mixologists at competitions, such as those sponsored by Solid Vodka, Monin and 42 Below.

Laris's Vault Bar may have the most cutting-edge drink list in town. Head barman Cross Yu sees his job like a higher calling. "A barman is not just someone who shakes some ice in a cup. A new cocktail is not at all simple--you have to balance sweet, sour and the aroma, it's like a cologne," he says. Yu feels indebted to David Laris for providing a platform to develop his mixologist skills. "David is a chef and he teaches us. Many of our cocktails use fresh purees and expensive ingredients of the quality used for pastries." One of Yu's signature concoctions combines peach puree, vintage tequila and Monin passionfruit syrup, topped off with Dom Perignon foam.

Speaking of chefs influencing drinks, Eduardo Vargas created this cocktail list at Bam-Bou. Vargas brews his own infused vodkas with herbs and spices to mix cocktails bursting with unexpected flavors. The "My Thai" is a lethally delicious concoction of Vargas' home-brews, incorporating cucumber vodka, kaffir-lemongrass vodka, chili vodka, ginger and mint. The chef mixologist has arrived.

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