Profile: Katie Emmerson, Bar Manager at The Hawthorne (Boston)

Katie Emmerson (Bar Manager at The Hawthorne, Boston)

Hometown:

Brockport, NY (near Rochester)

Experience:

Opening bartender, now Bar Manager, at The Hawthorne. Before that I was at Death and Co, Raines Law Room and Lantern's Keep in New York. 

Favorite Classic Cocktail: 

Manhattan- specifically a bourbon Manhattan served up with a cherry. This was the first classic cocktail that I fell in love with before I tumbled down the rabbit hole into this awesome world. I was drinking what all my 22 year old girlfriends were- vodka cranberry, White Russian, etc. Then I started dating a bartender and he decided I should try something different. Wow! What had I been missing!?

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Ingredient to Use in a Cocktail:

Tea! Everything from Earl Grey to Jasmine Green to Rooibos to Rose Cascarilla to Lapsang Souchong- teas are an amazing way to add complexity to a cocktail. Also, when made into tea syrups, it's also possible to created some interesting beverages for those that aren't consuming alcohol. I don't want them to feel left out!

Follow Katie and The Hawthorne on Twitter

The Hawthorne: 500 A Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Drinks, In order of appearance:

[print_this]

The Noble Order

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1.5 oz Famous Grouse blended scotch whisky

.75 oz Dolin dry vermouth

.5 oz Amaro Nonino

.25 oz Marie Brizard Apry

Grapefruit peel, for garnish

Directions

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass and garnish with grapefruit oil

[/print_this]

[print_this]

Lagavulin Julep

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

2 oz Lagavulin 16 yr

.5 oz simple syrup

Small fistful of mint

Directions

Rub the mint on the inside of the julep cup and place in the bottom. Add simple syrup and gently press with a muddler. Add whisky and stir. Slowly add crushed ice while stirring and watch the frost form on the outside of the glass. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a bountiful sprig of mint.

[/print_this]

[print_this]

Artemis

(created by Nicole Lebedevitch, General Manager of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1.5 oz Small's gin

.75 oz Dolin dry vermouth

.75 oz fresh lemon juice

.75 oz simple syrup

2 leaves of basil, torn in half

Directions

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass over ice, top with tonic.

Garnish with a lemon slice and flowering herbs.

[/print_this]

[print_this]

The Company Swizzle

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1 oz Del Maguey Crema Mezcal

1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz ginger syrup

.5 oz Velvet Falernum

Directions

Mount all ingredients in a highball glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle until all ingredients are incorporated and a frost forms on the outside of the glass. Top with crushed ice. Garnish with 2 dashes each of Angostura and chocolate molé bitters and a sprig of mint.

[/print_this]

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

I woke up Saturday morning with Eric sleeping soundly next to me and Maki curled up at the end of the bed.  It took me a moment to realize what was so strange about this: it had been 2 months since I'd been home on a weekend.  Maybe all that travel is why this summer has flown by.  I took this as an opportunity to relax a bit, which meant baking cookies, followed by a day of eating and drinking and time spent outdoors with friends (eating and drinking, of course).  It was exactly what I needed.  A chance to decompress a little.

While I sat at the table, dropping heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet, Eric walked into the room and inspected the cookies that were cooling on the wire rack.  Always eager to be my taste-tester, he snatched one up and took a bite.

These are great!  Where did you get the recipe?

I looked up.

What do you mean?  I created it.  

They're really, good. There's some kick there. Cayenne?  

Yup. And some cinnamon too.

I love that.  Gonna post these on the blog?

Of course.

Awesome.

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

Spiced Double Chocolate Cookies

Servings 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, shaved using a chef's knife

Instructions

1. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a food processor (or this can be done with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) add the butter and both sugars and pulse until combined. This may require that you stop the machine periodically and, using a spatula, pull the butter/sugar mixture from the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl and pulse to combine.

4. Carefully add half the dry ingredients to the bowl of the food processor and pulse to combine. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients.

5. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and, using a spatula, fold in the chocolate.

6. Scoop heaping spoonfuls of dough into the palms of your hands and roll into two and a half inch balls.  Place dough balls onto a non-stick baking sheet (or one lined with parchment paper) and space them about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.

7. Remove from the oven and let sit on the tray for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  Let cool completely before serving.

Why I Love Taking Pictures With My Phone (+ Some Tips/Tricks)

Seafood Display at Whole Foods (photography by Brian Samuels)

The first time I brought a camera into a restaurant was over two years ago.  This was before I'd purchased my first smart phone, and I lugged around my hefty camera and lenses wherever I went.  Despite the challenges of carrying a camera everywhere, this was my creative outlet and I loved capturing my favorite restaurants and landmarks.

Ever since I started working professionally as a food photographer, I do like to take a break from my camera from time to time.  Sometimes you just need a little space.  I rarely bring it along when we go out to eat or are traveling anymore.  On a recent trip to Vegas, I only took my camera out once, opting to use my phone to take all my pictures.

As a photographer, there's something very liberating about shooting with a smart phone.  First off, you can be discrete about taking pictures.  It's easier to capture the environment of a restaurant when you're not whipping out a massive lens.  Both patrons and servers get weird when they see a camera pointed at them (and I don't blame them for that... it's a bit intrusive).  A phone, however, can be used to take a picture without anyone noticing.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

I also feel like I've grown tremendously as a photographer because of the amount I shoot with my phone.  I'm constantly finding ways to get creative in an environment when the light may not be ideal.  Or I see a dish and think, "Ok, what are all the ways I can shoot this?" and, to my husband's dismay, I play with every option.   It gets me thinking outside the box and that may be the most important thing for us as artists.

Over the last few months, I've started teaching classes on iPhoneography for folks who are interested in amping up their food photos.  I wanted to share a few points from that class with you today:

1. Remember that taking pictures with your phone is the same as using a DSLR... consider the key elements of photography: subject, composition, and lighting. Some dishes or ingredients aren’t always going to be bright and colorful, but there should be something about what you’re photographing that’s going to be interesting to the viewer.  Use the other elements (composition and lighting) to elevate the subject or create a mood.

2. Action can be the subject.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

3. Texture does a lot to make a smart phone image interesting.  This can be as simple as shooting the dish on a rustic table (think aged wood) or textured background.  I've gone as far as to put my food on the sidewalk, using the bricks as my surface.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

4. Use natural light... and never use the flash! I see it all the time. I'm at a restaurant and someone takes a picture and they light up the room with their phone's flash.  My suggestion, and this goes for all restaurant photography (even with a DSLR), is to only shoot during the day (or during day light).  It's incredibly difficult to take a shot of food with your phone in a dimly lit room.  Even if the dish is beautiful and the composition of the shot is perfect, the picture is going to come out super grainy.

5. Shoot from above.  Because the iPhone doesn't have the same depth of field capabilities as a DSLR, shooting from the side doesn't always work as well as one would like.  The best way to capture a dish (or a whole table of plates) is to get the shot from above.  If you do shoot from the side, keep your shot simple and with minimal props, because everything in the shot will remain in focus.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

6. Taking pictures is fun!  If your friends are joining you at a restaurant, let them in on the experience.  You can even let them be your model.  They'll like that. And then let them eat.  They'll like that more.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

To see some more of my iPhone shots, head on over to Instagram.  And to see my husband's pictures of me taking pictures of food, check out his Tumblr page, Waiting For It: Married to a Food Photographer.

The above pictures were taken at the following places (listed in order of appearance):

Whole Foods (Andover, MA) Barbuto (New York, NY) West Bridge (Cambridge, MA) Four Seas Ice Cream (Centerville, MA) Mei Mei Street Kitchen (Boston, MA) Lyric (Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod, MA) Island Creek Oyster Bar (Boston, MA)