Bottom's up with plenty of style.

• Position: Alcoholic beverage industry trends - What's New?

Linda Losey of Bloomery Plantation Distillery, Charles Town, W. Va., says there are a number of craft cocktail, bar, and restaurant trends that reveal how American entrepreneurs are thinking outside of the beverage industry box more than ever, elevating standards of the trade, benefiting localized farmers, and generally changing the drinking game one cocktail at a time:

More playfulness, less pretention. Cheeky and whimsical brands and beverages are kicking severe mixology to the curb. Preciousness and pomposity have taken a back seat to professionalism. It now is homespun hospitality over haughtiness. Cocktailing is becoming simpler, with a lowbrow laid-back sensibility on the rise.

Small Batch still is big. The American Distilling Institute reports the meteoric rise in craft and micro distilleries, where true ingenuity is underway--the results of which are getting to market quicker than ever. Validating the power of craft, even the "big boys" are jumping into the small-batch business.

Simplicity reigns supreme. Gone are the days where overzealous mixologists have something to prove, taking 15 minutes or more to perfect a drink. Today, simplified elixirs are at the forefront; it requires few ingredients and steps of preparation to create a killer craft cocktail--even at home.

Increasing culinary influence. Fresh fruit, roots, and nut- and herb-laden libations are all the rage, even taking cues from the kitchen with imaginative culinary cocktails filled with farmed foodstuffs. Mixers with all-natural ingredients like Italian lemons, Hawaiian ginger, black walnuts, and pumpkins are being utilized to craft distinctive, memorable, and crave-worthy flavors.

Locavore garden-to-glass libations. Local and farm-fresh approaches to ingredient sourcing are taking root on cocktail menus. Garden grown is in; preservatives, concentrates, and artificial ingredients are out. Indeed, craft cocktail distillers are turning hand-selected agricultural ingredients grown on their own--or neighboring--farms into 100% natural artisan liquors that are elevating cocktails, beers, and other beverages like coffee and tea.

Moonshine goes gourmet. Distillers are...