Get into the mix for World Cocktail Week

— -- Today's cocktails have an abundance of fresh ingredients. With the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans celebrating World Cocktail Week from May 6-13, Kelly Carter for USA TODAY asked top mixologists to share what's popular in their area.

New York

Expert:Dale DeGroff, master mixologist

Hot cocktail:Spicy Abbey with gin, orange bitters, orange juice, lemon juice, dash of Lillet, Stonewall Kitchen's hot pepper jelly, agave nectar and Szechuan dried chilies

Why now:"It pairs well with pan-Pacific or Latin foods. Lately I've been doing lots of food-friendly cocktails. People want to sit at the bar and munch, whether it be tapas, Indian or pan-Pacific. People don't like to sit down and have multi-course meals. They can't afford it anyway."

Popular ingredients:"I'm mixing different types of syrups — honey syrups, agave syrups and simple syrups. I do a triple syrup with agave, honey and simple syrup that is more textured and has lots of layers."

Seattle

Expert:Kathy Casey, international consultant and bar chef

Hot cocktail:Rhubarb Spring Thyme with gin, rhubarb, sugar, fresh strawberries and thyme.

Why now:"It's such a fabulous spring pairing. The flavor is very bright and poppy and it goes so great with berries. I love doing layers of flavors in cocktail. My background is as a chef so I'm always looking for the really round flavors of things. And it plays well with herbs. It does nicely with thyme, cilantro."

Popular ingredients:"Homemade bitters are a huge deal in the Northwest. We have a lot of shops that sell a lot of herbal type stuff, like Chinese medicine. I just made a bitters with Schizandra berries, which are tiny, tiny berries. They have a really weird flavor and are kind of buz

Chicago

Expert:Adam Seger, general manager and bar chef at Nacional 27

Hot cocktail:The Chadwick, a pomegranate-ginger-habanero mojito

Why now:"Obviously mojitos and Latin drinks are very hot right now and also drinks using spices such as ginger and antioxidant ingredients, such as habaneras and pomegranate."

Popular ingredients:"We're growing herbs at the bar. I've got kaffir lime leaf, lavender, rosemary, lemon thyme, Kentucky kernel spearmints, pineapple sage, lemongrass and cilantro. It's exciting. You feel like a liquid Alice Waters."

What's next:"Hibiscus is the next cranberry."

Miami

Expert:Michael MacDonnell, master mixologist and director of beverage at Bleau Bar at Fontainebleau Hotel

Hot cocktail:Modern Gimlet with Orzel vodka, essence of fresh cucumber, hand-pressed lime, dash of cane nectar or bar syrup

Why now:"It's like eating fresh cucumber. It's not over syrupy or tart. It's just well-balanced. That right there is a key to a good cocktail. You've got to have your citrus, your acid, your sweet, your sour and your strength."

Popular ingredients:Fresh lemon sour with sourced lemons from South America and lemon oil from Brazil and Argentina. "We make our own purees and juices. It's always fresh ingredients that's the base for all of our cocktails."

Santa Monica

Expert:Ryan Magarian, mixologist at The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel

Hot cocktail:The Aperol Smash with hand-pressed green grapes, fresh local organic mint, Ketel One vodka, Aperol Italian bitters and freshly squeezed lemon juice

Why now:"This drink has become a runaway hit because it has the dramatic visual appeal."

Popular ingredients:Freshly extracted juices from honeydew, cantaloupe and bell pepper. Herbs such as sage, thyme and Thai basil, chilies and horseradish, the latter for a horseradish pineapple margarita.

What's next:"Gin just might become the new vodka."

Denver

Expert:Jared Boller, bar artist at chef Troy Guard's TAG restaurant, opening May 18

Hot cocktail:42 Yuzu made with 42Below kiwi vodka, strawberry puree, house-made sour, splash IZZE sparkling pear juice and mint. Topped with Yuzu kiwi foam and garnished with kiwi olives stuffed with strawberry pimentos.

Why now:"That's the drink that got me to compete in the 42Below Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand. It's very springtime and refreshing."

Popular ingredients:The acai berry, lychee fruit, kumquats and sage.

What's next:"We're going to put spin on classic drinks at TAG. For our mojito we're going to use