Critically acclaimed chef Ed Verner (whose Auckland eatery Pasture was recognized by Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine in their annual world’s best restaurants lists) describes his latest venture as not “quite a bar, but not a restaurant either.” Alongside creative partner Hillary Eaton, Verner recently debuted Boxer – an intimate 11-seat experiential concept dedicated to rule-breaking cocktails, vinyl, and a fine-dining riff on bar food – at the height of the pandemic.
But with hospitality one of the hardest-hit industries, some might question the rationale of opening a new venture at a time of such global economic uncertainty. “Boxer was already half-built when we went into lockdown, so it was do or die,” says Verner. After racing back from Los Angeles before New Zealand shut its borders in April, the duo spent seven weeks under lockdown refining the concept, from music to tasting menus. Against all the odds – and to great acclaim – Boxer opened on July 23 only to shutter three weeks later when Auckland was plunged back into lockdown.
“Despite operating for less than a month, we were picking up momentum and had customers coming back two or three times,” shares Eaton. “We probably wouldn’t have survived without the government’s emergency COVID-business loan, but the support and response to our off-license sales, bottled cocktails and to-go boxes from regulars – something we did at Pasture during the first lockdown – was amazing. Even Aucklanders who had never been to Pasture come by to support us and see how we were doing.”
Verner’s kitchen credentials and passion for cocktail-making at the aforementioned Pasture, coupled with Eaton’s experience as a food and travel writer, initially helped shape the vision for Boxer’s ‘tasting bar’ experience. The drinks list is inventive and unexpected. Presentations are deceptively simple (read: minimalist), but flavor profiles complex. A “cocktail alchemist” of sorts, Verner uses a rotary evaporator to extract aromas for use across both menus. Preserved elderflower from last summer is a favorite used everywhere, from an oyster garnish to a martini crafted with housemade elderflower vermouth.
“We look at what is in season and think about the profile we want from the drink – we might achieve this from introducing fermented flavors, smoke, or distilling using a weighty whiskey,” Verner explains. “The drinks might even riff off something we have leftover from a dish in Pasture. Our preserving program there has led to some interesting cocktails, including working on honey and floral ferments to produce a mead we leave to age and develop.”
Anyone lucky enough to have scored a coveted seat (there are only six) at the smash-hit eatery in Parnell will know a thing or two about Verner’s food artistry. Think nuanced techniques and hyper-seasonal ingredients. The kitchen is zero waste, too. A case in point? The handsome crimson-finned Moon Fish (or Opah) Verner had prepped to serve pre-lockdown at Boxer but came up with creative ways to share with Aucklanders via innovative to-go boxes instead.
Feel-good to-go box bites, like pork fat pretzels, caviar, and Pasture sourdough, also kept diners happy. As did a couple of martini-style drinks and bottled cocktails, including a smoked cacao in the spirit of an Old Fashioned and refreshing carrot top concoction Verner designed to be enjoyed at home over ice or with soda. “We sold a wide array of our wines, too. New Zealand’s only bottle of Jacques Selosse Initial Grand Cru is one of our most unique offerings.”
With the recent Covid-19 outbreak now under control, Boxer re-opened to in-restaurant dining at the end of August. Walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis every Sunday when Aucklanders can once again look forward to a holy trinity of cocktails, tasting dishes (including a wagyu-cured egg yolk and Osetra caviar doughnut), and vinyl. Styled on Japan’s listening bars, Verner and Eaton – who share a passion for hitting record stores together when schedules allow – spin the Boxer collection on a coveted and hard to come by vintage 1970s-era Toshiba record player.
While the space takes its name from Verner’s favorite album by The National, the interior is a study in Japanese minimalism with charcoal-hued walls, blonde wood, and locally handmade ceramics. Menu experiences remain the same, ranging from Heavyweight (five cocktails and a selection of three dishes served over two hours) and Lightweight (three seasonal cocktails, two dishes) to an A La Carte option with a one-hour table hold.
With plans to bring Boxer stateside in 2021 still on the cards, for now, at least, Verner and Eaton, who both feel this is just the beginning, are content to stay in New Zealand pushing the rule book on their innovative cocktail bar concept.
Find out more about Boxer.
Keri Bridgwater is a freelance writer based in San Diego, California. Her bylines have featured in the London Evening Standard and Roam Magazine, among other international outlets. She covers travel, lifestyle, culture, art and design related stories for AGLAIA Magazine. Follow her on Instagram
