( CNN ) -- `` What 's with all the mixologists these days ? `` Why are n't bartenders content just to be called bartenders anymore ? '' I frowned as my editor griped about the sanctimonious self-regard of a class of workers once regarded as anonymous service minions ( his words ) , then suggested I do a story on this outrageous barroom development . For a person whose alcohol taste buds are n't refined enough to detect the difference between Cointreau and Grand Marnier , the term slung about by high-minded marketers seems like just another way to suggest 1 ) intimidating cocktail menus and 2 ) staggering prices . It might not even be a real word . Type `` mixologist '' into your laptop and you 'll see that red squiggly snake beneath it , suggesting that the word does n't even officially exist . My initial attempt to get to the bottom of the mixologist/bartender question only confuses things further . At The Landmark Mandarin Oriental , Hong Kong 's annual Masters of Mixology event , I speak with three talented international bartenders . Despite the name of the event they 're a part of , each dismisses the term mixologist like it 's stale beer . `` I feel very strongly to refer to myself as a bartender , '' says New Yorker Natasha David . From dive bars to nightclubs to high-end bars , David has been pouring drinks for 11 years . In addition to helming Nitecap in New York , she runs a cocktail consulting business , crafting creative cocktail menus for bars . `` I do n't think mixologist is a bad term and it does say something nice about creating recipes , but it 's more important , relatively , to be welcoming and fun with your guests than to be technically perfect , '' she tells me . `` Bartender trumps mixologist '' In Asia , experienced bartenders tend to consider `` mixologist '' a gimmicky title employed by green bartenders . `` In Korea , bartenders are the ones who make tasty cocktails while mixologists make beautiful ones , '' says Dohwan Eom , owner of Le Chamber in Seoul . Eom was the Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year Runner-up for 2010 for his work at the Ritz Bar at the Ritz-Carlton , Seoul ; he 's known for infusing food ingredients into his cocktails . `` Bartender trumps mixologist , '' he insists . `` Younger bartenders like to call themselves mixologists nowadays , trying to make their work sound magical , '' adds Takumi Watanabe , a 20-year veteran of the trade , award-winning bartender at the elegant Sailing Bar in Nara , Japan , and considered one of the top bartenders in the country . `` In Japan , people are respected for being in one job for many years , so calling yourself a mixologist does n't make your customers believe in you . '' Watanabe 's remarks suggest a generational divide , but it turns out the term `` bartender '' does n't have to equate to old-fashioned tapster . Watanabe makes me an unforgettable Takumi 's Margarita using ume-shu and shiso powder . It 's impossible not to trust someone who `` sees making cocktails as a ceremony . '' So far everything I 've found makes the case for mixologist being a dirty word . That might bring a smug smile to my editor 's face . But I know there are plenty of people out there who use the term in a serious and meaningful way . Mixologist actually a classic term . Somebody has to have a kind word for mixologists . I keep digging , pestering every drink pourer I can find . Michael Callahan and Raj Nagra both refer to themselves as `` bartender before a mixologist , '' but neither considers mixologist a snobbish term . `` The term dates as far back as the 1850s , so I think to dismiss it entirely would be forsaking the rich history of our craft , '' says Callahan , founding bartender at 28 HongKong Street in Singapore and former vice president of the Northern California Chapter of the United States Bartenders ' Guild ( he relocated from San Francisco to Singapore ) . Callahan 's 28 HongKong Street ranked 10th on the World 's 50 Best Bars list in 2013 and is nominated as a finalist this year . `` Mixologist has sprung up again over the last decade more aggressively , '' says Nagra , a Global Bombay Sapphire Ambassador and veteran bartender in New York . `` Many aspiring bartenders in this modern age have used the title to gain more press and assist in transforming the consumer idea of what a bartender was and perhaps now might be . `` The media absolutely love the term and use it more than bartenders these days to educate their readership on the evolution of the cocktail industry , '' says Nagra . `` It 's become a hype generator , its greatest proponent being marketers . `` In recent years , the term has been abused just as 'punk rock ' became a commodity in the '90s . A 'mixologist ' is just a person with a whole lot of passion for what they do , '' says Callahan . Well , that sounded like a familiar refrain -- blame the media ! Maybe my professional brethren are sometimes suckers for the hype machine , but surely the entire media ca n't shoulder the blame for the proliferation of mixologists ? Where did the term come from before media and marketers went nuts for it ? `` Dale DeGroff , '' says Nagra . The man who started it all . `` I 'm afraid I have to take the rap for reviving the 19th-century term mixologist , '' says Dale DeGroff , after I reach out for a so-it's-you conversation . Founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans and creator of his own bitters , it was 1987 when DeGroff slipped the term into the cocktail menu at the Rainbow Room in New York . This was at a time when the bar was creating a storm by employing classic recipes and making drinks with real ingredients and fresh juice . `` It was clear that we were doing something no one else was doing and something that had n't been done for many years , '' says DeGroff . `` I wanted to shine a light on what we were doing at Rainbow ... so I decided to call myself a master mixologist to the press . '' A dead word in modern dictionary , he came across the term in a 19th-century bar manual while doing cocktail research . `` It 's understandable why 'mixologist ' has become a popular moniker ; it helps to differentiate the average beer/shot/Flaming Lamborghini bartender from ones who spend their time furthering their knowledge of flavor compounds and the obscure history of the craft , '' says Callahan . `` For me , the term mixologist lends to the idea of crafting creative cocktails , with a heightened understanding of the ingredients within , as potentially opposed to otherwise , '' says Nagra . Ultimately , argue its proponents , the title does n't have to denote extravagance . `` The idea of creating great drinks is not reserved for anyone in particular and can be presented by way of relatively modest pricing , '' says Nagra , citing the populist cocktail scene in New York as an example . `` One of the things I love most about NYC cocktail bars is that many are operated by amazingly talented people who are modest and happy to educate their customers . '' Final verdict . Although most bartenders I speak with do n't despise the term itself -- rather they wince at the abuse of it -- I think it 's best to leave the verdict to the man who resurrected the noble mixologist . After working as a driver for Zsa Zsa Gabor and pursuing an acting career , DeGroff first landed a job as a waiter and a bartender in the early 1960s . Now 65 , DeGroff recalls the moment he rediscovered the now-infamous term and says he saw the rise of its popularity coming . `` Joe Baum , my mentor and the man who many believe was one of the movers in the early days of the culinary , wine , and , through me , the cocktail revolution of the last 40 years , shared his vision with me , '' says DeGroff . `` So yes , I did know we were onto something that would change the scene for decades to come . `` Those decades I spoke of above are just beginning . `` Now that beverage is on a more equal footing with the culinary side of the business , the two will become inseparable -- and I am not just speaking about wine . '' DeGroff does n't mind the flood of self-proclaimed `` mixologists '' in the market , and reminds me of the positive influence the term and the movement have had on the business of bartending . `` The question really is not too much or too little , but good or bad . `` Of course there are a few out there calling themselves 'master mixologists ' who do n't have the chops to perform at that level , but the market will sort that out quickly , '' says DeGroff . That 's a final word on mixologists even my grouchy editor might drink to . Le Chamber , 42 Dosan-daero , 55-gil , Gangnam-gu , Seoul . The Landmark Mandarin Oriental , Hong Kong , The Landmark , 15 Queen 's Road Central , Hong Kong . Nitecap , 120 Rivington St. , New York . The Sailing Bar , SHR Building , 564-3 , Kibi , Sakurai City , Nara , Japan . 28 HongKong Street , 28 Hong Kong St. , Singapore . What do you think ? Are mixologists rank pretenders ? Or cocktail gurus deserving of the high title ? Leave a comment .
For some , the term `` mixologist '' suggests pretension and expensive drinks . It's a bit of an oxymoron to say that you're not really a mixer if your drink isn't made by someone else ( or at least it should be ) DeGroff and others say the term helps differentiate beer slingers from barkeeps who study the craft of cocktail making .