Alastair Walker – Caretaker

Posted on May 9, 2024

My Life

I was born in Hull, in the UK, and grew up in a vicarage in Orchard Park, I believe the open-door policy of our house and the wider community that I grew up in shaped me in a way that made hosting second nature. I left Hull to study Theology at Manchester University, and within my first year at uni I got a job in a restaurant. I finished my degree but by that time had already fallen in love with bartending. Simply tasting a few gins after a shift and going to a couple of competitions was enough to get me hooked.

I managed a cocktail bar for a while after university and then decided to travel. By working every hour day and night, I was able to buy tickets for a round-the-world trip. In Melbourne, Australia, I got a job working with Michael Madrusan, while he was looking for a spot to open his own bar, The Everleigh. Michael and I became close friends and I got to be part of the opening team and was given the opportunity to manage The Everleigh. I was lucky enough to be trained on the bar by Sasha Petraske (Milk & Honey, New York City), who was one of the owners of The Everleigh along with Michael. This is where I gained my technical ability.

“I was lucky enough to be trained on the bar by Sasha Petraske (Milk & Honey, New York City)
Alastair Walker

A few weeks into the opening, Heather joined our small team and we went on to help set up Navy Strength Ice Co., The Everleigh Bottling Company, and Heartbreaker together. Five years later Heather and I were married and living together in New Zealand. Since then we have set up two of our own cocktail bars, Caretaker and Deadshot, with the help of our business partners. We also welcomed two little boys, Elijah and Otis.

Over the last four years I have become involved in the New Zealand spirit scene, being a judge for the New Zealand Spirit Awards, The Drammys, and The Junipers, and have particularly enjoyed blind tasting so many spirits.

Caretaker

Caretaker started with the idea of having a bar that was a blue-collar version of the fancy cocktail and hotel bars. We found over the years that not everyone feels comfortable in opulent spaces but everyone does enjoy a good drink, so we wanted to create a space that serves the best possible drinks while still feeling comfortable and laid back. We wanted to make it feel like it had always been there, as if the caretaker of the building (that the bar is in) has been collecting bits and pieces over the years and then decided to open a bar. The back bar is made up of old safes, and a lot of the furniture and fixtures are repurposed items, such as the tables made from old window and door frames. We don’t have a menu, and everything is prepared based on the customer’s choices through a simple conversation about what flavors the person enjoys. The drinks are mostly classic cocktails along with our own creations. It is all table service, so your bartender joins you at the table to chat about the drinks. We use the best possible ingredients right down to the ice. We partner with local growers for our fruit and have even leased a lemon orchard to source our own lemons. We also blend our own spirits to get the flavor profile we want and developed our own ice mold so we can use block ice to shake our drinks and have the best possible control of temperature and dilution. Deadshot is Caretaker’s mischievous little sister and has become a bit of a “hospo haunt.”

Auckland Recommendations

Auckland Bars Recommendations
🍸 GG X Flamingo
🍸 The Broken Lantern
🍸 La Fuente
🍸 The Parasol & Swing

Auckland Restaurant Recommendations
🍸 Apero
🍸 Satya Chai Lounge
🍸 Cazador
🍸 OOH-FA

The Future

I see the bar world evolving to become even more focused on locality and relying on local producers, from the spirits down to the fresh produce—the New Zealand whisky scene is growing at a fantastic pace. We are really excited about this movement and are working toward having as many local suppliers as possible. Furthermore, I believe the bartending community will get more involved in the communities that they are a part of, not just slinging drinks.