Down a test-tube cocktail

Remember chemistry lessons — an introductory flash of magnesium followed by years of interminable double periods? Well, despite what you may have thought, it hasn't all been a waste of time. Welcome to the world of molecular mixology.

Molecular mixology is all about the appliance of science, à la Heston Blumenthal, but it takes place in the cocktail bar instead of the kitchen. We're talking a dazzling array of previously unthinkable flavours, from a Chanel No 5 champagne cocktail to a bubblegum pina colada, and a gallery of gadgetry out of Frankenstein's laboratory.

It's difficult to say exactly where the movement started, but the consensus is that New York's superstar mixologist, Eben Freeman (of deeply stylish Soho bar Tailor), is the Heston of the cocktail shaker.

"Molecular mixology is a matter of expanding the vocabulary of drink," explains Freeman. "You can really play with people's preconceptions. For example, imagine the most sublime Black Russian you've ever had, but as a crystal-clear liquid. Instead of having set cocktails, you can start with an idea about a flavour (any flavour) and then think how you'd use it in an ideal world. You can really push the boundaries."

But Freeman is eager to correct the impression that all this is completely new. "Many of these methods were used in the 19th century at the birth of the cocktail," he says, "but the Prohibition killed off much of the art and creativity of it, and it has taken us nearly a century to recover."

However, you don't need a time machine or a transatlantic flight to experience the art of molecular mixology for yourselves. The phenomenon is a growing part of London's cocktail scene.

The Fifth Floor Bar at Harvey Nichols, Mahiki and the Shochu Lounge beneath Roka are among the elite who are leading the way.

Like Freeman, Shochu's Tony Conigliaro is one of mixology's global poster boys. It was he who concocted the Chanel champagne cocktail "with a hint of No 5 on th nose ," says Conigliaro.

"These new methods transform the cocktail into an experience that affects all your senses:there's the sound of the cocktail being made, the visual hit, the smell, the taste and the texture. I've even worked with perfumiers to help me translate the smell of some perfumes into cocktails — we're taking the craft of bartending to a whole new level."

Now, here's the science bit. These creations require considerable knowledge of chemistry, and once you get talking to London's top mixologists you soon realise they share a geeky passion for technology.