Nocturnalists are spirited members of Auckland\u2019s nighttime scene, and in this series they take us on a tour of their favourite spots in the city after 5pm. Today: Alastair Walker talks us through some of the city\u2019s best bars.<\/p>\n
Photos by Sophie Miya-Smith shot on location at Kemuri Hi-Fi and Caretaker.<\/p>\n
Alastair Walker is a professional night owl and the driving force behind some of the city\u2019s most celebrated bars: Caretaker, Rocketman and Deadshot. He was born in Hull, first started working in bars in Manchester, eventually making his way to Auckland via a stint in Melbourne. His reputation must have preceded him, because just before arriving here, he received a serendipitous offer to open a bar. Together with his wife and business partners, Alastair opened Caretaker \u2013 a subterranean New-York-style cocktail bar tucked away in a Britomart alley. Ten years on, Caretaker has become renowned for its high-end cocktails and atmospheric setting. When he isn\u2019t there, Alastair is usually a short bus ride away, at home in Arch Hill. \u201cIt\u2019s convenient,\u201d he says. \u201cFor our style of life, you can\u2019t be too far away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
You grew up in Hull, worked in Manchester and then spent seven years working in Melbourne. At what point did you decide to move to New Zealand?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We wanted to start a family. It just seemed like the right choice\u2026 It\u2019s safe, it\u2019s clean, it\u2019s wonderful. And I like the little pockets of communities that you can quite easily walk into. As spread out as Auckland is, it does feel to me like a village\u2026 there\u2019s not a dog-eat-dog kind of mentality. There is more of a community.<\/p>\n
What was your vision for Caretaker?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We knew what style we wanted. We were very well trained by these New York guys to do something in a very particular way, so we definitely wanted to keep to that\u2026 but what we wanted was our own story. [The idea behind Caretaker] was having something that was more of a working-class version of the high-end, 1920s hotel bar. While that golden era of cocktail bars was wonderful, it\u2019s not who we are. We wanted \u201cthe caretaker of the building\u201d, that kind of thing, not the rooftop. I come from one of the largest council states in England and my wife comes from Gisborne. So I think it worked out quite well.<\/p>\n
Alastair opens Caretaker and Loxmyn McDonald-Ness plays sax behind the bar (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
You were trained in the New York style of cocktail making, what does that entail exactly?<\/p>\n
So it all started with Sasha Petraske, who owned a bar called Milk & Honey [in New York]. He was one of the few people that kind of brought back the classic cocktails. He was very meticulous about his method. He flew over to Australia and taught me while we opened up a bar there. [The style is] very much a methodology about how the drink is made and keeping things simple; fresh juice, a large block of ice, controlling temperature and dilution, making sure that drink is as good as it can be.<\/p>\n
And what makes for a really good bar, what are those ingredients?<\/p>\n
People. People behind the bar and people serving that understand the nature of hospitality. You can have amazing products, but if you have a bad time, you\u2019re not going back.<\/p>\n
How do you deliver good hospitality?<\/p>\n
You just have to listen. It\u2019s listening to what people are actually saying\u2026 I think that comes with experience.<\/p>\n
You must pick up on a lot too, listening as well as watching. Have you noticed Aucklanders\u2019 drinking tastes change over the past 10 years?<\/p>\n
The margarita taking hold has been quite a big thing, and the swing back around to cocktail competitions for many of the bar brands after Covid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crafting a cocktail at Caretaker (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
A lot has evolved in the CBD too, not just our drinking habits. What\u2019s it been like being part of the Britomart area this past decade? There\u2019s been so much development.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s changed a fair bit\u2026 They\u2019ve done a lot of hard work in keeping it clean, in all regards, and just nice. There\u2019s the shops and the bars and restaurants, which do tend to stick around because it\u2019s such a great location.<\/p>\n
And you\u2019re quite well placed; people can pop down to Caretaker for a drink before or after going to one of the restaurants.<\/p>\n
Our peak time is just after dinner. We get flooded in that respect\u2026 the number of solid restaurants around us is great. We\u2019ve always been known for being the \u201clate-night bar\u201d. We\u2019ve got people in until 3am every night. There might not be many people at 3am, but there\u2019s always someone there having a drink while we\u2019re closing down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not many places stay open that late. Why 3am?<\/p>\n
The idea is that when I used to finish work [in Melbourne], we would zip down to a bar that was open until three, no matter what, and we knew we could get a drink; that made a big difference to me. [So with Caretaker] if everyone\u2019s closed, we\u2019re always open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you get hospo people coming in?<\/p>\n
More so with Rocketman [our other bar upstairs], which is great. And it\u2019s great being part of a little cocktail scene, because we\u2019re not far away from Panacea, Truth or Dare and Kemuri Hi-Fi\u2026 Kemuri has a wonderful whisky collection, as does Panacea. I\u2019m a big whisky nut. If I\u2019m not drinking a cocktail, I\u2019ll be drinking whisky.<\/p>\n
\u201cKemuri has a wonderful whisky collection, as does Panacea.\u201d (Photo: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your cocktail of choice?\u00a0<\/p>\n
My cocktail is a sazerac. It\u2019s rye whiskey, a sugar cube, Peychaud\u2019s Bitters and an absinthe rinse for the glass. It\u2019s not for everybody. It\u2019s made in a way that it looks tiny, but it\u2019s cutting back the dilution, so it\u2019s real punchy.<\/p>\n
Where do you go at night in Auckland?<\/p>\n
For a date spot, we often end up at Apero. I personally love the sausage, it\u2019s amazing. Usually we just get them to bring us a whole bunch [of dishes] because you know you\u2019re going to get something good.<\/p>\n
Everyone I\u2019ve spoken to who works in the hospitality industry raves about Apero.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s amazing. The service, the food, the wine, everything.<\/p>\n
And if you were going for a drink after dinner, where would you go?<\/p>\n
Once again, those three cocktail bars [Panacea, Truth or Dare and Kemuri Hi-Fi]. I also do love a pint of Guinness\u2026 a new Irish bar has just opened up [in Britomart].<\/p>\n
Yes, Slattery & Sons.<\/p>\n
Yeah! Oh, another Britomart dining spot would be Alma. That place used to be Oaken, which was where me and my wife worked while we were waiting for Caretaker to be built. So I feel quite comfortable there.<\/p>\n
What do you like on Alma\u2019s menu?<\/p>\n
The little anchovy skewers\u2026 that and some sherry.<\/p>\n
\u201cKemuri Hi-Fi is darker, underground\u2026 There are no clocks, you don\u2019t know what time it is, and you\u2019re just submerged in that atmosphere.\u201d (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favourite place for a special dinner in Auckland city?<\/p>\n
Pici. The rigatoni dish is amazing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you have any favourite spots for a cheap and cheerful dinner?<\/p>\n
For staff meals, we eat a lot at the [Commercial Bay] food court; it\u2019s so convenient. We also like Tanpopo, the ramen place, which is near Caretaker.<\/p>\n
What about somewhere to take the family? Where\u2019s a good kid-friendly spot?<\/p>\n
Parasol & Swing in the Viaduct. Great to watch the boats and the staff are fantastic.<\/p>\n
Have you had any unforgettable nights out in Auckland City?\u00a0<\/p>\n
A very memorable night out was going to see Idles playing at Auckland Town Hall. We started in Parasol & Swing, then headed to the gig. Afterwards we popped into GG X Flamingo (next to Satya Chai Lounge, recently changed to The Pink Elephant!). One of the team ran across the road and bought T-shirts from Achos as we were a bit sweaty. We then jogged onto Acho\u2019s for a cheeky drink and ended the night back at Caretaker. It was a hoot! The hospitality was incredible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Buying fresh T-shirts for a mid-session outfit change is genius. You\u2019re clearly experienced when it comes to enjoying the city\u2019s nightlife. If someone came to you asking for a perfect night out in central Auckland, where would you send them?<\/p>\n
It would start with a pre-cocktail at Truth or Dare. Then going for dinner at Mr Morris, maybe sitting at the bar to see the food get cooked. And then rolling from there to a fancy cocktail bar like Panacea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I also like a night of snacks, music and cocktails. Snacks and local beer at Satya Chai Lounge, a sneaky cocktail and more substantial snacks at Bar Magda. Then head to Whammy Bar or Town Hall for a live band. After which I\u2019d roll down to Panacea, Truth or Dare, or Kemuri Hi-Fi depending on the group size \u2013 also possibly popping into Rocketman for a sing along [there\u2019s a secret karaoke booth]. And finally, grabbing a burger at The White Lady!<\/p>\n
The secret karaoke both at Rocketman, one of Alastair\u2019s bars (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
Why is Kemuri Hi-Fi such a good place to end the night?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s darker, underground. I always like to be underground\u2026 There are no clocks, you don\u2019t know what time it is, and you\u2019re just submerged in that atmosphere.<\/p>\n
OK, one last question. What do you love about Auckland at night?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a wonderful combination of calm and party. You can walk down a street and there\u2019s an atmosphere; there\u2019s enough bars and restaurants, you can pop around between places. But you can also just go stare at the ocean if you like. Being anywhere near the sea is immediately calming, especially at night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nocturnalists are spirited members of Auckland\u2019s nighttime scene, and in this series they take us on a tour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[218797,109243,193224,26892,156,111,139,218798,188772,69,143],"class_list":["post-426575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-auckland-bars","tag-auckland-city-centre","tag-auckland-restaurants","tag-cocktails","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nocturnalist-s2-alistair","tag-nocturnalists","tag-nz","tag-partners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}