Seasonal Cocktails By Julius White

I'm your food photography guru sharing photography tips, equipment ideas and business advice to help you improve your photography skills and navigate the world of food photography a little easier.

Hey, I'm Regan.

I recently partnered up with Vie to share two Seasonal Cocktails by Mixologist, Julius White. Grab these two delicious recipes and some photography tips from my shoot.

This post contains affiliate links. Read the affiliate disclosure.

Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White

Seasonal Cocktails by Julius White

Photography Tips for Shooting Cocktails

CAPTURE THE PROCESS

Have you ever really taken the time to watch mixologists create their drinks? It’s so fun to watch! They are experts and combining science with creativity. Portions are carefully measured to merge flavors that are delicious and unique. Temperatures are monitored. Glassware is purposefully selected. I wanted to capture it all. Showing process shots helps people see everything that goes into a recipe. It creates visual interest and keeps people engaged with your food or drink story.

USE A TRIPOD

When you’re capturing the process of someone making something and you’re in a dark restaurant with little natural light, you will need a tripod. It allows you to stabilize your camera and have a lot more flexibility with your camera settings. I have the Manfrotto 055 Tripod. It’s sturdy and has a ball head that lets me easily adjust the position of my camera when I need to get different angles.

READ MORE ABOUT: HOW TO SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE

Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White

Recipe 1: The Fennel Countdown

The first cocktail Julius crafted was The Fennel Countdown, which he describes as a savory gin sour. The recipe involves using one egg white and I watched him remove it from the shell without breaking the shell in half. He managed to do it with one hand too. The fennel is smoked for 90 minutes before expertly mixing it with celery gin and bitters to tie everything together. It tastes like a deliciously smokey, perfect-for-fall drink.

READ MORE ABOUT: DARK & MOODY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Two Signature Cocktails by Julius WhiteTwo Signature Cocktails by Julius WhiteTwo Signature Cocktails by Julius WhiteTwo Signature Cocktails by Julius WhiteTwo Signature Cocktails by Julius White

Recipe 2: Bourbon’s Fall

The second cocktail Julius made was the Bourbon’s Fall, which he had just developed a few days prior to our shoot together. It had a smokey aroma to accompany the subtle fall flavors of all spice and orange.

My favorite part, aside from tasting it, was how he captured cherrywood smoke in the glass before pouring the cocktail. I was mesmerized as I watched the smoke rise from the glass as he poured this incredible autumn treat. Julius doesn’t just create a delicious drink, he shows you a true cocktail experience. This is why Mike and I always sit at the bar when we eat at Vie.

READ MORE ABOUT: HOW TO SHOOT A SPLASH BY YOURSELF

Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White
Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White
Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White
Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White
Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White
Signature cocktails to enjoy this fall
Two Signature Cocktails by Julius White

Cocktail Classes

If you’re interested in crafting your own cocktails, and want to learn from an expert, Julius hosts private cocktail classes. You can get more information on that here. Or, if you’d like to let the expert take care of you and your guests, Julius can develop and name a custom cocktail for you. Pretty cool, right? You can read more about that here.

READ MORE ABOUT: HOW TO SHOOT A BOTTLE USING NATURAL LIGHT

Seasonal Cocktails by Julius White

Ingredients

For The Fennel Countdown:

  • 2 ounces Rutte Celery Dry Gin
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon
  • .75 ounce Smoked Fennel Syrup
  • .5 ounce North Shore Aquavit
  • 1 egg white
  • 8 drops Celery Bitters

For Bourbon's Fall:

  • 1.5 ounces Eagle Rare Bourbon
  • 1 ounce Averna Amaro
  • .5 ounce Bitter Truth All Spice Dram
  • .5 ounce Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
  • 2 scoops The Bruery Or Xata "Vie Beer Jam"
  • 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Cherrywood smoke

Instructions

For The Fennel Countdown:

  1. Add all contents to a shaker.
  2. Dry shake to agitate the egg white.
  3. Add ice and shake again to chill.
  4. Double strain into a large vintage coupe.
  5. Garnish with fennel frond, cracked black pepper and angostura design.

For Bourbon's Fall:

  1. Add contents to a shaker and shake aggressively to incorporate beer jam with the other ingredients.
  2. Strain into a decanter of your choice.
  3. Start your fire of cherrywood smoke.
  4. Blow out the flames and capture the smoke with an upside down rock glass.
  5. Seal with a coaster that has a perfect ice cube cut resting on top of it.
  6. Flip the glass and slowly pour the contents of the drink from the decanter over the ice as the smoke flows out from the glass.
  7. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and an orange peel twist.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase through my site, I might make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that I actually use and support. This post was also in collaboration with Julius White from Vie. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you to my readers for supporting the brands and restaurants that keep me cooking, styling and shooting.

All images ©Regan Baroni 2017.

Comments +

  1. mike says:

    I am looking forward to whipping these cocktails up for us all fall long! They look incredible! Thank you for sharing this!

    • bomie says:

      Can I join you? 🙂

      • Regan says:

        Yes, always, Bomie! The more the merrier!

    • Regan says:

      Yes!!! Delicious!

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