This summer season, we launched round 250 new types of glassware to our Store. (Perhaps you’ve launched some to your house, too?) With such attractive vessels for cocktails coming by means of our brand-new Brooklyn HQ, we determined to interrupt within the house and have some enjoyable whereas capturing these glasses in motion. So, naturally, we invited a couple of of our native Food52 group members over for a cocktail occasion and photoshoot.
The occasion was an opportunity for us to fulfill a few of our Food52ers in actual life, give them a tour of our 21,000-square-foot house within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and naturally, take footage of our visitors making an attempt out our latest coupes, highballs, and tumblers. “That human ingredient provides a lot,” mentioned our Artwork Director Molly FitzSimons. “It brings a shot to life, actually.”
The shoot additionally gave us a great excuse to pattern cocktails made by our latest resident cocktail professional, Harper Fendler, who flew in from Maine for the occasion. Food52 Founder Amanda Hesser even stopped by throughout her newest episode of Amanda’s Founder Information.
Utilizing Harper’s professional ideas, plus our playlist, recipes, and glassware suggestions, we invite you to steal a few of these concepts in your subsequent cocktail occasion.
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
First, it’s all about setting the suitable vibe in your cocktail occasion. Our Studio Assistant Elvin Abril curated an ideal playlist heavy on ’70s and ’80s classics that you just’re welcome to make use of as your personal. As soon as the playlist is queued up, you’re prepared to start!
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Harper chosen 4 drinks—two that he developed, plus two traditional cocktails. Right here is how he paired them with our glassware:
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Our Senior Meals Stylist Anna Billingskog assembled an exquisite cheese board and ready a summery menu of small bites together with:
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
The Ice Breaker
To crush ice for a cocktail just like the swizzle, Harper recommends wrapping cubes in a kitchen towel, not a plastic bag that may break. Then go to city and smack the ice with a rolling pin, reserving a bit of ice to pile on prime like a snow cone. Don’t fear for those who’re too busy internet hosting your occasion to pulverize ice for each drink—that is an easy-to-explain chore which you can hand off to a visitor who is keen to assist.
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Do not Over Muddle
You’ve doubtless sipped many cocktails with herbaceous bits of mint or basil floating in them, however that form of aggressive muddling isn’t crucial (and even interesting). For Harper’s blackberry mint sparkler, you simply shake the basil and mint with the ice to precise these flavors—no muddling required. You too can launch an herb’s perfume simply by slapping the leaves towards your hand. (Slapping and rubbing the leaves between your palms will solely unfold the essence in your arms, not the drink.) To coax the notes of mint into the Queens Park swizzle, he locations the leaves within the base of the glass along with the easy syrup and frivolously faucets them with a muddler quite than pounding them to items. Harper reached for the French rolling pin that occurred to be available after crushing the ice, however you need to use a traditional muddler at dwelling!
Stations, Please
In case you’re going to serve a number of drinks, create stations for each. Additionally, make the meeting simple by batching drinks forward of time and setting out garnishes for visitors to DIY. That manner not everyone seems to be crowding over the identical spot, and, mentioned Harper, “it retains you from being the designated drink maker.”
Say hi there to our first group members to go to our new dwelling within the Brooklyn Navy Yard:
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Elizabeth Lande, Food52 group member since 2018
What do you do? My ardour is performing, however I do actual property.
Your favourite cocktail or mocktail: I feel a actually good margarita goes a great distance.
Your favourite drink from the shoot: The Final Phrase. It was actually uncommon and sophisticated and it had components I’d by no means had earlier than. And it didn’t look troublesome to make.
The most effective tip that you just realized from Harper: To not be anxious about being daring together with your drinks. He’s not afraid to combine issues up a bit. I realized to have extra enjoyable with it and be artistic.
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Your favourite snack from the shoot: That’s simple: the furikake Chex combine.
Your favourite glassware from the occasion: The primary one [the Estelle Sunday Collection Lowball]. I believed that was actually lovely. Then somebody handed me a extremely enjoyable blue glass with white spots on it [the Zafferano Perle Tumbler]. I believed this might be nice to have in your home in many various colours. It was colourful and didn’t take itself too critically.
Your favourite Food52 buy: The bread basket that I really like [The Guzzini Recycled Tierra Bread Box], the one with the wooden prime. It’s so lovely and properly designed and helpful. The lid is a chopping board if you flip it over.
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Bridgett Lindsey, Food52 group member since 2015 (although she started studying Food52 in 2010)
What do you do? My passions are meals and journey, and if I may have a job the place I mixed the 2, I’d. I work for a communications and advertising and marketing company.
Your favourite cocktail: Caipirinha, my all-time favourite cocktail.
Your favourite cocktail from the shoot: I’m torn between the mocktail and the Final Phrase—it was surprisingly refreshing and so flavorful.
Greatest tip that you just realized from Harper: The muddling. I’ve been doing it incorrect all this time. You don’t need to smash it. I realized a lot in such a brief time frame, the way you launch the flavors of issues in a sure manner.
Your favourite snack: The Chex combine.
Your favourite glassware: The mocktail glassware. I really like the scalloped edge. The Store is so properly curated, nevertheless it’s curated to be purposeful. I’m all the time discovering one thing new and it by no means appears out of attain or too valuable. (See all of Bridgett’s favourite glassware from the shoot.)
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Duncan Fitzpatrick, Food52 group member since 2021
What do you do? I’m a meals stylist and chef. My ardour is meals. Cooking it, serving it to family members and pals, and final however not least, consuming it.
Favourite cocktail: A Negroni. Any form, kind, or variation. I really like all of them!
Favourite cocktail from the shoot: Bourbon Strawberry Spritz.
Greatest tip that you just realized from Harper: Muddling mint into the syrup first earlier than including the remainder of the cocktail components. That manner the flavour infuses with the entire drink.
Favourite snack: I LOVED the Chex combine!
Favourite glass: The coupe—they all the time elevate a cocktail.
Your favourite Food52 recipes: Throughout the pandemic it was the no-knead sourdough bread. However these days, I’m a sucker for the Rao’s Meatballs recipe and my spouse loves the easy brine for pork chops—we’ve it virtually each week.
Photograph by Mark Weinberg
Which of those cocktails do you assume you may be making? Tell us beneath!