Getting fresh

The Forbidden Passion and the Japanese Plum Ginger from Croma on Newbury Street. (WIQAN ANG FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

Purees, fresh ingredients, and fruit garnishes are the most effective way to make a specialty cocktail list work. Flavored liqueurs and vodkas are fun to play with, and definitely add some punch, but without fruit, vegetables, and herbs you're basically drinking a chemistry experiment. It can be hard to strike the right balance, of course, but it's something that the people at Croma, the upscale pizzeria on Newbury Street, seem conscious of. "We feature fresh ingredients in our cocktails, and I think that sets us apart from the typical bar that uses premixed cocktail mixers," said owner Mike Gregorio.

The Forbidden Passion (Smirnoff Passion Fruit Vodka, Blueberry Schnapps, pureed strawberries, Zardetto prosecco, strawberry garnish; $10), one of Croma's more popular drinks, gets its deep, dark red color and thick consistency from the strawberries. It looks like it's made from actual food. In fact, it seems like the product of pressing and stomping the fruits, like something you'd see in wine-making. The prosecco topper buoys the fruit along on a cascade of bubbles.

The Green Dragon (Stoli Ohranj Vodka, Cointreau, pureed mango, fresh orange juice, Midori, kiwi; $11), with its striking two-tone layers of melon and sun-kissed mango, is another fine use of puree. The Dragon is an abstract painting of a martini; its taste develops depending on the depth of your sip.

The Japanese Plum Ginger (Pearl Plum vodka, red wine, ginger, simple syrup, lime juice; $11) doesn't use purees, but it has organic textures of dark fruit from the merlot (red wines in cocktails aside from sangria should catch on) and spice from the fresh ginger coating the glass. Like many of Croma's cocktails, it drinks like something that actually came from the earth.

Croma, 269 Newbury St., Boston. 617-247-3200. cromabos ton.com

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