Dishes at Jerry Zheng's The Mixing House in Beijing. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

"I had never heard of a mixologist, but was stunned by the gracefulness and smartness he demonstrated in the video."

In 2009, with all the money he had saved－10,000 yuan ($1,500), Zheng came to Beijing and took a four-month bartending course at an occupational school.

"The school was small and not that high-end, but it opened a door to a new world for me," Zheng says.

It was first time he realized bartending is a respectable profession that requires systemic skills and knowledge, and it's not just about shaking cocktail shakers and being cool, he adds.