the inspiration: I'm inspired by the general level of improvement in mixology skills among bartenders. Ten years ago, ordering a properly made manhattan, even at better bars and restaurants, meant explicitly asking for it to be stirred, please. We could depend on a bar having decent bourbon — thank you, Maker's Mark — but as a rule everyone was shaking the shit out of every cocktail they made, a la James Bond. I've had it with sending back frothy manhattans. Today, I'm most pleased to say that many bartenders know when to stir and when to shake. That's a big change. I think that's a sign that the precepts of the high-end cocktail movement are moving into the mainstream.

Next we need to get folks to stop using those awful cherries. Oh, don't get me started on cherries!

the inspiration: I find inspiration in the work I have been doing with food scientist Dave Arnold. I'm also using the Buchi Rotavapor and experimenting with nature-identical ingredients that can be used in mixology the same way as perfumers use them with fragrance.

the inspiration: The experiences everyone should have right now are Monday nights at Ward III, the crystallized ginger drink at The Campbell Apartment, anything brown from Char4, Brunches at Brandy Library, and also, any and all drinking experiences that happen outdoors in Brooklyn. They should be treasured.

Things that inspire me right now are vermilion leather, wines from Courtois, glitter and pink foam, falafel and Stephanie Theobald.

the inspiration: I am loving the cocktails at the Raines Law Room in NYC. The head bartender there, Meaghan Dorman, created a riff on a classic cocktail with Armagnac, the Transatlantic Old Fashioned, that is perfect for every season. It combines bitters — my fave cocktail ingredient at the moment — with a nice citrus accent.

the inspiration: You might be surprised, but the Monin syrups have been of great use for us, not that it is anything new or extraordinary, but they helped us fill the gap between the cocktail and wine drinkers and the world of brown spirits. We created the "mixits," literally bridges between spirits and cocktails, with two goals in mind: First, going against the grain, in reaction to the disaster produced by the Rise of the Mixologists. They either ruin great, i.e. old and/or expensive, spirits by drowning them in the sugar-and-weird-herbs or flowers, therefore insulting the craftsmanship behind its release, or use so much bitters that nothing from those base ingredients speaks anymore. Our second goal is introducing the world of hard liquor to novices. We had found out that even the lightest, fruitiest and easiest representatives from each category still carried the burn of alcohol, turning off consumers after choking on them. The syrup adds the sweetness necessary to cut through that heat, while the ice guarantees a refreshing libation. It’s been over a year of use of this cocktail and proving right everyday: bringing our guests to the strong-stuff category while understanding it, and keeping them away from silly vodka-based cocktails in the meantime.

the inspiration: The things that inspire me really are the oppositions and ongoing challenges. The fact that absinthe was illegal in the U.S. inspired me to work to change that. If I wanted to identify a single source of inspiration, it would be history, just because I’ve been watching history be maligned for 16 years and I became determined to set the record straight. Bartending and mixology is a realm that recently viewed every invention that made something cheaper and faster as an improvement. I am glad to see that attitude go the way of the dodo. I have a real appreciation for the craftsmanship of the past, as does anyone who truly appreciates the pre-Prohibition apex of cocktail culture. Not a book or a bottle, it’s just that in a world that recently viewed the juice gun as a great invention, what’s inspiring me is that I’m saying no, that’s an abomination. Only by recreating past accurately can we truly appreciate it, and that is what I do.

the inspiration: A batch of small bitters bottles. We’re always messing around with various bitters and there’s something very satisfying about having them all in equal-sized glass bottles. Perhaps we’ve got a little bit of OCD creeping in there …

the inspiration: At the Watermark Grill, we infuse vodka and gin with cucumbers, then macerate dill into the mixture for the last 24 hours to impart chlorophyll and bitterness into the spirit. We're also infusing starfruit in vodka or gin, then incorporating lychee nuts for the last 24 hours to impart sweetness and acidity. When it comes to maceration of spirits, knowing your ingredients and timing is of the utmost importance. The starfruit is more delicate than cucumber so be careful not to add too much of an accent or it could end up muting the flavor of the infused spirit. Something like lavender can give your infusion a certain je ne sais quoi, but too much or too long will result in a taste resembling dish soap. Make a quick bar syrup by adding a teaspoon of lavender to about 20 ounces of water, bring to a boil then strain, add sugar and rose water. Lavender goes well with gin, too. Add about a teaspoon per liter of gin, let sit at room temperature for about 48 hours before straining the lavender out.

the inspiration: The thermometer. When an item is cooked to a certain temperature, it achieves specific characteristics of flavor, consistency and texture. Infinity exists in the relationship of temperature and product, and the thermometer measures the journey.

the inspiration: I love tomatoes. I grew up eating them, and I still love the flavor of a really acidic celebrity tomato. Local or not, summer is never more vivid than it is with a tomato. We’ve enjoyed a tomato-and-goat cheese tart at the restaurant on our summer menu; sometimes I chop them over soft-shell crabs. And while I love heirlooms such as green zebras and purple cherokees. And I also love the acidic nature of hybrids.

Right now I’ve confiscated my pastry chef’s balloon whisk and am having a lot of fun with it – we made luscious summer peach ice cream the other day using it.