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Luke Ashton
Bartender / bar director
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Owner of This Must Be The Place, Luke Ashton works in the part of the bar trade where simple formats expose technique: citrus lift, bitterness, spritz texture, cocktail balance, and wine service paced to the guest rather than the bartender. The focus is seasonal spritzes, cocktails and wine — a compact range that depends on timing, temperature, dilution, and a clear read of the room. The working line is direct: "Elevating the way people drink one cocktail at a time." In practice, that places the cocktail inside service rather than above it. Since 2015, This Must Be The Place has served as the base for Ashton’s ownership work, with the bar treated as a system of menu, pace, seasonality, and point of view.
The Path
Bar training is built through repetition under service pressure, and Luke Ashton’s path moved from University of Wollongong into bartender roles at The Roosevelt and Vasco in Surry Hills (until 2015). That kind of floor work teaches the practical order of the craft: read the guest, control the build, keep balance and temperature in check, and land the drink at the right moment. Ownership broadens the same questions without removing the handwork. Today, Luke is co-owner of This Must Be The Place (since 2015) and Beverage Creator | Hospitality Innovator of Cocktail Academy. The craft frame expands from individual drinks to the whole operating rhythm: how guests enter, how a list changes with the seasons, and how spritzes, cocktails and wine sit together without making service feel forced.
The Work Today
Ashton is the owner of This Must Be The Place. Seasonal spritzes, cocktails and wine form a practical specialty. Spritzes depend on brightness, aromatics and immediate refreshment. Cocktails carry structure and signature. Wine keeps the offer social and table-facing. The range is narrow enough to show discipline and broad enough to cover different drinking occasions. The through-line from bartender to operator is hospitality kept close to the glass. At This Must Be The Place, Ashton’s ownership work reflects both drink mechanics and room feel: enough polish to raise the standard, enough ease to keep the bar usable. The Beverage Creator | Hospitality Innovator role at Cocktail Academy extends that same approach into a wider professional setting. The emphasis remains on drinks and the service systems around them — making, presenting, and organizing beverage work for modern hospitality.
Signature
Luke's signature dishes include New Frontiers, Cerise, Wildlife, Chambéry, and Afterglow. The names mark a menu language built around direction, fruit reference, atmosphere, place and finish. Kept as signatures, they give the list identifiable points of return without requiring the drink to be separated from service.
In Their Words “Elevating the way people drink one cocktail at a time.”
Acclaim
Trade recognition includes Luke's honor as Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year (2013).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Luke
Where did Luke Ashton train or study?
Luke Ashton trained at University of Wollongong.
What recognition has Luke Ashton received?
Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year (2013).
