There have been savory notes in a handful of traditional cocktails—the tomato juice in bloody marys and olives in martinis, for instance—but bartenders are starting to look to the kitchen for even more inspiration.

There’s nothing new about the combination of a restaurant and grocery in the U.S., which often begins as a delicatessen and then expands into something more. It’s a concept that’s been employed by Italian- and other immigrant-owned stores nationwide.

Pizza seems like it should be such a simple business. Make some dough, add tomato sauce, cheese, and some toppings and spices, and eccolo, you have pizza.If only it were that easy.With the American expansion of high-heat, quick-cooking pizza ovens, many of which use a traditional Italian, brick style, it has become increasingly important for chefs and operators to understand the best techniques for making Neapolitan and other types of pizza.

Shrubs are sweet and tart vinegar-based syrups, also known as drinking vinegars, created with sugar, fruit or vegetables, spices, and herbs. These mixtures are increasingly popular in both cocktails and soft drinks.

With so much focus on the spirits, juices, herbs, and spices in creating a cocktail, it’s easy to lose sight of one of a drink’s essential ingredients: ice. This modicum of frozen liquid—formed into a cube or sphere, cracked, crushed, or as part of a slush—can easily make or break any cocktail.

In response to an increasing number of guests adopting plant-forward diets, the nation’s chefs and mixologists are adding more vegetable-centric options to menus. Even beverage menus are on trend: The National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot list—culled from a survey of chefs—found culinary cocktails containing fresh, savory, herb-infused ingredients as one of the top alcoholic beverage trends for 2018.

Labeling something Mediterranean can be a bit simplistic. The Mediterranean Sea Basin encompasses parts of three continents, numerous nations, and various cultures, topographies, and agriculture.“The Mediterranean may have a single meaning, such as geographic, but in culinary terms it is so much more,” says Juan Coronado, brand ambassador for Bacardi.

Pairing food with alcohol has a long tradition, but it’s usually mentioned when combining wine with a meal. Increasingly, however, other hard beverages like spirits are being considered for matches. As mixologists become ever more innovative, the idea of putting together cocktails that go well with the chef’s creations is intoxicating.