(Untitled, from the "Party" series, Andrea Stern, 2007)

Fancy drinks and creative bartenders have been getting a lot of attention lately. Canteen sat down with one of this new breed of alchemists to try to figure out why.

Brian Van Flandern is a beverage consultant and the former head mixologist at New York’s Per Se, a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Canteen: I saw a hotel advertise a visit from the World’s Best Bartender. How can there be a World’s Best Bartender?
Brian Van Flandern: Well, there can be according to the International Bartenders Association, which holds competitions for the Best Flair Bartender and the Best Classic Bartender. The Classic competition involves precise, rigid, sharp criteria.

Like what? Is it similar to required routines in gymnastics or ballroom dancing?
Ice skating is an even better example, with its required jumps and technical points, but the skaters also have some latitude to express themselves artistically. Classic bartenders have to make the proportions of ingredients spot-on, with nothing left over. Napkins and glasses have to be aligned properly, like it’s some kind of tea ceremony. And there are other mixology competitions, like the Iron Bar Chef, where balance, flavors, and fresh ingredients in the drink are paramount.

Why are cocktails so popular now?
I think it’s a return to the way things should be. The 200-year anniversary of the word cocktail was in 2004. It’s an American word, and Americans launched the first golden age of the cocktail in the early 20th century, before Prohibition and World War II lost an entire generation of barmen and their secrets. In the ’60s and ’70s, the drinks were top-heavy in alcohol and sugar. Now, mixologists are emulating great chefs, and it’s finally time for a new golden age of the cocktail.