Drinks are harder to photograph than food. They're clear, they reflect everything, and they start dying the second they're poured.

Most of what makes a cocktail photo good happens behind the bar, not behind the camera. Here's what I ask bartenders to do on a shoot, and what they can do on their own with a phone.

Build the drink right before the shot

Not five minutes before. Right before. Ice starts melting, bubbles go flat, foam drops, and a coupe that looked perfect on the bar looks tired by the time it's in position.

On a shoot, I'll set up the frame with an empty glass first. When everything's ready, the bartender builds the drink and it goes straight into the shot.

How to make cocktails look good in photos

Use fresh, clear ice

Cloudy or chipped ice looks cheap on camera. Use your best ice, and fresh from the bin. If you have big clear cubes for certain drinks, use them.

Garnish last

Citrus peels curl, herbs wilt, and cucumber slices slide down the glass. Put the garnish on at the very end, right before the photo.

Polish the glass

Every fingerprint shows. Hold the glass by the stem or the base, and polish it right before it's filled. Wipe drips off the outside. Watch the rim too.

One drink at a time

Same rule as food. If three drinks are made at once, two of them wait and melt. Build, shoot, next.

Lighting clear drinks

Light that comes through the drink is what makes it glow. Light that hits it from the front just makes it flat and shiny.

Backlight. Put the light behind the glass. A window behind the drink works. The liquid lights up and the color comes through.
Hard side light. Low sun from the side gives you sharp shadows and bright color. It's how I like to shoot most drinks.
Watch reflections. Anything in front of the glass shows up in it. Including you.

Shooting the pour

A pour or a shake makes a great photo, especially for Instagram. It shows the drink being made, not just sitting there.

It helps to have the bartender do it a few times. Pour from a little higher than usual so there's a visible stream. A steady hand matters more than speed. Real bartender hands look better than anyone else's, so I'll usually want yours in the frame.

Phone tips for between shoots

You'll want new drink photos more often than you'll book a photographer. A few things make phone shots a lot better.

Shoot near a window, with the light behind or beside the drink. Turn off the overhead lights if you can.
Get low. Level with the glass usually beats looking down at it.
Keep the background simple. A clean stretch of bar or a plain wall.
Tap on the drink to focus, then drag the brightness down a little. Phones tend to overexpose drinks.
Don't use flash. It makes glass look like a mirror.
Wipe your phone lens. It's usually greasy.

For more on how I shoot for bars, including the room and the back bar, see the drink photography page. If your cocktail list is changing, let me know.

Cocktail photography tips for bars