Tucked away inside the boutique Hotel Emma lies a respite of curiosity, exceptional hospitality, and craft. Larder at Hotel Emma offers a variety of treats to visitors to Pearl and hotel guests. Everyone has come to expect exceptional craft coffee, delectable pastries, and a host of grab-and-go options to satisfy your appetite or quench your thirst.
With the summer season here, it can only mean a new drink menu is on the horizon. Regulars at Larder have come to know the friendly faces behind the bar. Landon, Angelica, Sam, Clarissa, Natalie, Darius, Sailor, and Jayne. It’s not uncommon to hear the crew laugh together like siblings (or the occasional friendly fight). The magic of the new menu happens between the shot pulls, between the cold-brew keg switches, and in the spontaneous “what if” question.
This summer, we sat down with two of Larder’s baristas — Angelica, a multi-season veteran of the menu-making process, and Clarissa, whose small-batch syrup company Enamorado Specialty Syrup is quietly making its way into some of your favorite cups — to find out how the summer menu really comes together.
Catching Seasons
The seasonal menu process starts with a vibe. Rather than being a top-down corporate mandate and easy A-frame advertisement swaps, the team brings a piece of their own personality to each idea. Angelica explains,
“I try to think what says fall, what says winter. Not just flavors — what do people eat? What says, oh, that’s Christmas, that’s fall?”
Summer, in Larder’s eyes, means fruity and unexpected. The team’s working principle: take what’s familiar, then find the angle that makes it theirs. “Everybody really likes fruity drinks during summertime. So what can we do to incorporate the fruit aspect without doing what everybody else is doing?”
That instinct is what gave customers the strawberry cheesecake latte — a drink that started when one of the baristas really wanted cheesecake foam, and Angelica and Darrius thought, why not add strawberry syrup and make it something you’d actually put on a menu? It’s a vanilla latte with a rich, creamy cold foam, but the flavor combination is one Angelica says she hasn’t seen elsewhere. “It’s a little different — something that will draw people in.”
Larder’s Laboratory
If you’ve had the pleasure of stepping into Larder, you’ll be familiar with the iconic sounds of a neighborhood coffee shop. Light chatter, laughter, espresso grinder humming at full revolution, and the delicate pouring of drip coffee. All of these actions and movements work in harmony, and when a new menu request comes around, it throws the shop out of balance, but in the best way possible.
“When we all get together, and we’re all going back and forth — even though it might look like a heated debate — we’re all just putting our ideas out there,” Angelica says. “We’ll be like, no, that doesn’t sound good, but then we try it. And we’re like, I hate you, that tasted so good.”
The blueberry lime matcha came together in that same breath. The team wanted to build something around coconut water. They started simple — coconut water and matcha — but something was missing. So they already added blueberry syrup to the rotation from another drink. Still not quite right. Then someone reached for the lime juice. Splash. Done.
“The way all of our brains came together and thought of that — it was awesome. That was a cool moment.”
Not everything works out, though. Brown sugar pineapple syrup sounded promising but clashed with the cold brew it was meant for. A strawberry-mint-basil lemonade didn’t quite get there either. The misses are part of the process — and they’re what make the hits land.
Enamorado: A Syrup Story That Started at Home
One of the more unexpected threads woven through this summer’s menu is the use of Enamorado — Spanish for “lovers” — a small-batch syrup company started by Larder barista Clarissa and her partner Dom.
“It actually started at the first specialty coffee shop I worked at,” Clarissa says. “A lot of the people I worked with didn’t want to do a lot of seasonal syrups. So I thought, I’m just going to make my own.”
Clarissa and Dom began experimenting at home, bringing the results in and giving them away to their favorite regulars. The response was immediate. “People actually really liked it. They were like, oh, I’d be down to buy this.”
Now Enamorado is sold at Pullman Market, and this summer their syrups are finding their way into Larder’s menu, too. The horchata cold brew uses one of their seasonal creations — a horchata syrup that came about because Dom makes a great homemade horchata and they thought, why not turn that into a syrup? They did.
“Everything we do is done with intention. There’s a lot of trial and error — but it’s to bring out the best drink we could possibly put out for everybody.”
What to Order
Here’s what the team is most excited about this summer:
Blueberry Lime Matcha — Coconut water, matcha, blueberry syrup, lime juice. Refreshing, a little unexpected, and the product of a genuinely collaborative moment behind the bar. Pairs well with a granola bar if you’re keeping it light.
Strawberry Cheesecake Latte — A vanilla latte with cold foam and strawberry syrup. Think of it as a sweet treat that still delivers on espresso. One of the drinks Angelica is most proud of.
Blueberry Lavender Tonic — Brighter than it sounds. The “tonic” is just sparkling water — herby, refreshing, and lighter than your typical espresso drink. Pair it with something that won’t compete: a butter croissant does the job nicely.
Horchata Cold Brew — Enamorado’s horchata foam over cold brew, finished with a little vanilla. A sweet treat that still keeps the coffee front and center.
Find Larder at Hotel Emma
Whether you’re here for Pearl’s World Cup Watch Parties, teeing it up at Pearl Putt, or just a casual friend hangout, Larder is steps away from Pearl Park in Brewmeister Alley. Stop by, say hi, and meet the friendly faces behind summer’s hottest menu. Stay up to date with the team by following Larder on Instagram.
Larder is located inside Hotel Emma at Pearl, 136 E Grayson St, San Antonio, TX 78215. Find Enamorados syrups at Pullman Market and, this summer, in your cup at Larder.
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