10 most expensive cocktails

Since the days of Prohibition, when barkeeps invented mixed drinks in an effort to disguise the taste of their rotgut with fruit syrups, cocktails have exuded an air of illicit festivity. Beer is fine, and whiskey's quicker, but a cocktail — with its goofy garnishes and splendid colors — is merriment in a tumbler.

Now barkeepers are following the example of vintners and distillers, who have long charged a Rothschild's ransom for their best stuff. "There has been a significant growth in mixology, particularly with the use of fresh ingredients," says Robert Plotkin, a beverage consultant who has published numerous books on the topic.

Ambitious bartenders are developing premium repertoires that combine some of the world's finest and rarest alcohols with equally esoteric mixers. For instance: Blend a cognac that has survived two World Wars with the blackberry liqueur créme de mure, then pour over yohimbe bark, an obscure African aphrodisiac. "These ingredients have to scream the finest lineage possible," says Plotkin.