TASTING PANEL FEATURE: FRESH VOICES by Sara DiFeo
Just a Bunch of Liquor Nerds
by Sara DiFeo (Tribe 2)
Article Featured in The Tasting Panel Magazine, July/August 2021
The first time I walked into liquor retailer The Austin Shaker,
it felt as if I were stepping back into a time before the pandemic, when a typical Thursday evening was spent meeting friends at my neighborhood bar. Perhaps it was the familiar woody aroma, the upbeat music, or the hip and exceptionally friendly staff that greeted me upon entering, but the mood it evoked was exactly what Kiki Litchfield and her husband/partner David Maguire were hoping for when opening the first of what are now three store locations in Austin, Texas, in 2015.
When Litchfield moved to Austin in 2013, she was surprised at the lack of retail stores catering to the professional bar community despite the city’s huge cocktail scene. Noticing an old liquor store for rent while driving home one evening, she knew instantly that it would be the perfect spot to start a business, and—with just six months of savings to her name and the warnings of countless naysayers in her head— signed the lease just five days later. She may not have been able to predict the eventual success of her leap of faith, but what she did know about was liquor.
As she explains, Litchfield started bartending at a young age back in the 1990s, when Cosmopolitans and Apple Martinis were all the rage. “Eventually, once those trends passed and people started caring more about where everything came from, it was just a natural progression—you start learning more about what you’re doing,” she notes. Also, whenever she has a question, she asks Maguire: “David has a wealth of knowledge. He’s one of those guys that can remember everything about everything.”
Meanwhile, Litchfield continues to watch new trends come and go. For instance, “the ready-to-drink and seltzer category has absolutely exploded” in a city with a population as young as Austin’s, she points out: “When you’re in your 20s, you’re looking for the easiest thing to drink and not necessarily looking for designer craft cocktails.” But she remains steadfast in her commitment to quality. No matter how beautiful the package, how cool the backstory, or which celebrity backs it, she says, “If the juice doesn’t taste good and it isn’t made in an upstanding way, I’m not going to carry it.” The Austin Shaker’s amazing selection is proof of this statement. From hard-to-find amaros and bitters to books and barware, The Austin Shaker is a go-to for enthusiasts and industry pros alike.
Just as rewarding, Litchfield says, is being able to provide a comfortable and accepting work environment for her team; after all, a welcoming staff is key, and she believes in leading by example. Whether teaching them how to make cocktails or learning their kid’s names, she aims to provide the same level of service to her customers as she did when bartending. In her words, “We’re just a small company that’s trying to do the best we can . . . a bunch of liquor nerds [making] sure everybody else gets a chance to try cool stuff.”