About

Brent Herrig, Cocktail and Drinks Photographer in New York and London

My first job behind a counter was soda jerk at an ice cream parlor in Iowa. Now I photograph drinks for spirits brands, bars and agencies, and for one spirits brand I helped decide what went in the bottle.

In short: Brent Herrig is a cocktail and drinks photographer and creative director based in New York and London, working since 2007.

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Brent Herrig behind a cocktail bar with his camera, bitters bottles lined up in front of him.

Trusted By

Cocktail, spirits, and hospitality brands I have shot for since 2007.

What Goes Wrong With Drinks on Camera

A cocktail has about five minutes under the lights before the ice, the glass and the condensation start to give out, and the label still has to be right in every frame. Glass, liquid, ice, condensation, labels and highlights all have to be controlled at the same time.

The other problem starts earlier. On many launches the liquid, the serve and the picture are planned by different people who never sit at the same table, so the drink that tastes right is not always the drink that photographs right. I plan the drink for the camera before the shoot.

How I Got Here

Learning Light in Fashion

I grew up in Le Mars, Iowa, studied at Iowa State University's College of Art and Design, and moved to New York to be a fashion photographer. I did the first thing I knew how to do, which was to learn from the best, so I assisted a lot of fashion photographers. Each one lit differently, for different reasons, and that education stayed with me. Over enough shoots, I realized fashion was not for me.

Brent Herrig explains commercial lighting at a wooden bar, camera in hand, strobe and rocks glass beside him. — Brent Herrig teaching commercial lighting.

A Chef Friend and a New Subject

Then a chef friend asked me to photograph his food for a new venture. I threw away my fashion portfolio, shot a whole new food portfolio, and never looked back. What held me was the story behind the thing: who made it, and why. Since 2012 I have photographed more than 60 chefs and bartenders in seven countries for Spoonfuls of Inspiration, a series built around each person's favorite spoon.

Brent Herrig in a blue linen jacket and orange tie at an exhibition of his Spoonfuls of Inspiration photographs. — At a Spoonfuls of Inspiration exhibition.

Into the Bar

My drinks work grew out of editorial. From 2012 to 2013 I was principal photographer on Serious Eats' "We Chat With..." column, and one of those shoots took me to The Third Man, where the bartender built complex drinks from simple ingredients like fennel, apple brandy and champagne.

From fashion I borrowed the lookbook: I photographed a run of mixed drinks against a single backdrop. Shot that way, a whole menu reads as one family, which works for product photography and for seasonal menus alike.

After the column came the books. For Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry, the team behind The Dead Rabbit in New York, I was principal photographer on The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual (2015) and The Dead Rabbit Mixology and Mayhem (2018), and I created the product photography for their bar BlackTail before it opened.

A cocktail in a porcelain teacup on an engraved silver tray, topped with grated nutmeg and a large clear ice piece. — From Brent's Dead Rabbit book work.

Principal photographer of The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual, the book that won the 2016 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail and Bartending Book.

Building a Spirit From the Liquid Up

Years of photographing drinks taught me what makes one worth photographing. Then I got to work on the other side of the bar. As CMO of HH Bespoke Spirits, the spirits line from Harlem Haberdashery, I helped take the brand from concept to launch: the rum's taste profile, the char levels of the barrels, where the rum was sourced, and the gin's botanicals, worked out over hours of tasting until we had the blend the brand uses today.

I curated every cocktail on its cocktail page and helped with packaging and bottle development. For Koloa Rum Company in Kauai, I helped curate cocktails around their rums and photographed them. At home I keep a recipe collection of more than 400 drinks and spend a lot of time on fat-washing, infusions, carbonation and homemade tinctures.

That is the reason to hire me: one person who knows how a drink should taste and how it should look, so the liquid, the serve and the picture get planned together. That is what my drinks and taste consulting does.

Building a spirit or a launch? Book a call.

Hands holding a bottle of HH Bespoke rum against a dark embroidered jacket. — HH Bespoke Spirits rum.

What Clients Say

"We spent time searching for a local photographer who specialized in food and drink. When we came across Brent, we knew we had a clear front-runner. Brent's work is extraordinary and he is easy to work with. We can't wait for our next shoot, to showcase our new menu and guests enjoying our space. Top-notch service!"

Frank J Wilkinson, Owner, Rabs, Staten Island

"More than his wildly versatile shots or his down-to-earth professionalism, Brent leaves you with the absolute sense that your creative project lies in good hands. That is a priceless reassurance. He can adapt to the needs of high-concept composed shots or something more home-cook friendly, and even meld the two effortlessly. Would highly recommend, for art direction in particular."

Russ Lane, Chef Consultant, New York

How I Work

Brent Herrig photographs a red cocktail in a coupe on a zinc bar while a bartender works across the bar. — On set at a zinc bar while the bartender works.

Real Questions Before the Shoot

Every project starts with a pre-production call, and I come to it with real questions about the drink, where the pictures will run and what the launch needs. Then I send a considered plan. I pad the schedule for creative choices, so a pivot on the day is easy instead of a scramble. I would rather lose a booking than promise a result I cannot deliver, and I have.

Five Minutes per Hero Drink

I read the light first. As I put it, bring the food, or the drink, to where the light is. Each cocktail is staged, then shaken and moved into a cold glass for the frame, and the hero shot has about five minutes before it starts to fade. I direct the bar team on timing so the next drink is ready when the light is. For The Dead Rabbit, that pace meant 25 drinks styled and shot in a single production day. When the photographer is confident in the process, the client is confident in the process.

"I am a purist through and through. Even down to the ice that I use, I really enjoy using actual ice versus plastic cubes ... I want to make sure that it's truth in advertising when I shoot."

Brent Herrig

Finished Files, Never Raws

I review every frame as if I were the client. If something gives me doubt, I flag it first: "Hey, check this, what do you think?" You get finished, retouched files, not raws. Handing over raws is like asking a painter to just give you the paint.

Where AI Fits

I have used AI in my production for more than three years. My rule is craft first, tools second. Every AI frame I make starts from real photography of your actual bottle, used directly or through a model trained on that photography, and the pack and label are checked against your approved label before anything ships. Whether the glass, the drink or the setting is photographed or generated is agreed with you in writing before production. When in doubt, I label it, and I can tell you which frames were photographed and which were generated.

Brands, Books and Press

In all, I have photographed campaigns, menus, and content for 50+ beverage-led and hospitality brands, and shot drinks at the WhistlePig tasting room. My photography also appears in several cookbooks and has been published in GQ, Serious Eats and The New York Times.

Questions About Brent Herrig

Who is Brent Herrig? +

Brent Herrig is a cocktail and drinks photographer and creative director based in New York and London. He has worked as a photographer since 2007, for brands including Ketel One, Tanqueray, Belvedere, Baileys and Koloa Rum Company, and served as CMO of HH Bespoke Spirits. He was principal photographer on two Dead Rabbit cocktail books.

Where is Brent Herrig based, and does he travel? +

Brent Herrig works from New York and London and travels for campaigns. Production travel has included Napa Valley, Oregon's Willamette Valley, England's sparkling wine country and Piedmont in Italy. Shoots run through his network of partner studios, bars and other locations in both cities, and the brief sets where a project is shot.

What cocktail books has Brent Herrig photographed? +

Brent Herrig was principal photographer on two books from The Dead Rabbit in New York: The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual (2015) and The Dead Rabbit Mixology and Mayhem (2018). The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual won the 2016 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail and Bartending Book. His photography also appears in several cookbooks.

Does Brent Herrig use AI on every shoot? +

Brent Herrig does not use AI on every shoot. His own rule is craft first, tools second: AI goes into a project where it adds speed, range or efficiency, such as early concept sketches or more formats from a finished shoot, and stays out where it would replace judgment. He has worked with AI in his production for more than three years.

What is Brent Herrig's position on labeling AI images? +

Brent Herrig's position on labeling AI images is simple: when in doubt, label it. He can tell a client which frames were photographed, which were extended and which were generated, so the labeling question can be answered from the record. Every generated frame shown on this site carries a visible label saying so.

Does Brent Herrig shoot real drinks with real ice? +

Brent Herrig calls himself a purist, down to the ice: he uses actual ice rather than plastic cubes because he wants truth in advertising when he shoots. On his sets, approved bottles, labels, glassware and drink builds come first, and cocktails are shaken and swapped into a cold glass once the light is set, leaving about five minutes per hero drink.

How does a project with Brent Herrig start? +

A project with Brent Herrig starts with a short brief through the contact page or a booked call. He comes to the first call with real questions about the drink, the channels and the launch, then follows with a plan for the shoot. He reviews every frame as if he were the client, and flags any doubt before delivery rather than after it.