This article was taken from the February 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Modern mixologists rely on a shelf-load of ingredients, from booze and bitters to tinctures and foams. Alex Kratena, head bartender at the Artesian bar in London's Langham Hotel, has a new addition: sound waves.

Kratena, 33, uses an ultrasonic homogeniser to rapidly infuse drinks with new flavours. Called a Sonicprep, the $4,900 (£3,100) device emits up to 20,000 ultrasonic pulses per second. This produces cavitation: the rapid creation and collapse of microscopic bubbles that disrupt cell walls, releasing the contents -- in this case, flavour compounds. Similar machines are used in biology and chemistry labs, but Kratena is among a small group of mixologists using the technique. "It works particularly well for extracting flavours from spices and herbs," he says. "We used it to make lovage vodka."

Among its other potential uses: rapidly "ageing" spirits such as whisky by infusing them with wood chips from distillery barrels -- "You can get some interesting results," Kratena says -- although he's sceptical whether the technique can match the complex flavours imbued by traditional ageing. "We love technology that opens up new possibilities," says Kratena. "But the foundation of any modern cocktail remains the same: it should be delicious."

This article was originally published by WIRED UK