Auckland’s drinking scene is taking things upstairs

There are few things more persuasive than a good rooftop bar on a Friday evening. The view helps, naturally, as does the promise of a cocktail and an excuse not to go home just yet. Give people a comfortable place to gather, a decent drinks list and somewhere to watch the city wind down, and you are halfway there.

On a chilly Friday night in mid-May, Aka, the rooftop bar at Radisson RED Auckland, was full of the city’s after-work crowd. Men wore blazers and corduroy trousers; women arrived in long trench coats. The place was busy without feeling frantic, with people talking over drinks rather than competing with a DJ for the privilege of being heard. From the hotel’s smoking area, the Sky Tower cuts into the skyline, a rather good reminder of where you are.

Radisson RED Auckland opened in February, marking Radisson Hotel Group’s first hotel in New Zealand and its first Radisson RED property in Australasia. Its rooftop centrepiece, Aka, followed in May. Spread across approximately 800 square metres on the 15th floor, it accommodates up to 300 guests and offers 360-degree views of the city skyline and harbour. The hotel describes it as Australasia’s largest outdoor rooftop dining space. A retractable roof covers the restaurant, outdoor bar and private dining areas, a sensible concession to Auckland weather, which doesn’t always stick to a schedule.

The name Aka means red in Chinese and Japanese, and the colour runs through the interiors, from the deep-red palette to the velvet and marble finishes. A dramatic installation inspired by a cherry blossom canopy hangs above the central bar.

Drink up

Behind the bar, Nick Bevin has developed a cocktail programme that draws on Asian flavours while keeping familiar favourites in the mix. The signature drinks include the Sichuan Mai Tai, Tropical Clarity, After Hours Old Fashioned and Mar-Tea-Ni. Aka has also collaborated with Auckland-based 1919 Distillery on a London Dry Gin, with juniper providing its characteristic botanical backbone. Gin martinis, Negronis, floral martinis, pre-batched drinks and custom cocktails on tap round out the offering.

The cocktails I tried leaned a little towards the sweeter side, although the Sichuan Mai Tai had a lovely kick to it, making a strong case for ordering another round, particularly if you enjoy a cocktail with a little heat. The After Hours Old Fashioned, meanwhile, stayed true to its roots. Built around the familiar combination of whiskey, bitters, sugar and a touch of citrus from the garnish, it was not trying to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, a classic earns its place on a menu precisely because it knows what it is.

Aka’s approach is to make cocktails more experiential. Pre-batched drinks and custom cocktails on tap help keep things moving when the rooftop fills up. Nick estimates that roughly a third of Aka’s clientele order cocktails, with wine and beer accounting for much of the rest. The wine list focusses on premium New Zealand producers, alongside international labels selected to complement the food.

That balance between experimentation and familiarity is characteristic of Auckland’s wider drinking scene. Tash McGill, a travel, food and lifestyle writer, says classics such as margaritas and espresso martinis remain popular, even as bartenders introduce Southeast Asian spices, tea, pandan, coconut and local produce such as feijoa into their cocktails. There is an audience for unfamiliar spirits and more technical drinks, she says, but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to be surprised every time they order.

“Aucklanders love variety and choice, the opportunity to choose their own adventure,” Tash says. Price, of course, plays a part. Tash estimates that cocktails at premium bars generally cost NZ$21–26 (approximately ₹1,138–₹1,408), compared with NZ$19–22 (approximately ₹1,029–₹1,192) at pubs and higher-volume venues. “Being New Zealand made used to be enough of a story on its own to support a higher price point. That’s no longer the case,” she says. Customers expect the drinks, service and setting to justify the bill. Value, in this context, is less about finding the cheapest drink than knowing the one you ordered was worth the money.

Easy drinkers

Not everyone, however, is heading to a cocktail bar. Virenbir Arora, 33, who has lived in Auckland for nine years, describes a drinking culture in which convenience remains a major consideration. Ready-to-drink cocktails, or RTDs, are particularly practical for parties, where cans are easier to carry than bottles and mixers. Beer remains a popular choice, too, whether people are picking up a six-pack or buying larger quantities to share.

At home, the ritual can look quite different. Viren says gatherings often involve bottles of whiskey, vodka or gin set out alongside mixers such as Coke, soda, lemonade and fresh lime, allowing guests to make their own drinks. He also observes that older drinkers tend to prefer spirits with mixers, while people who seek out cocktail bars often belong to a different crowd, interested in the drinks themselves and how they are made.

It is a reminder that Auckland’s drinking culture cannot be reduced to a single trend. A rooftop cocktail, a few beers at a party and a whiskey with soda at home all serve different purposes. The occasion matters as much as the drink.

Vidhya Raithatha, director, Marketing, Radisson RED Auckland, sees the same emphasis on socialising rather than just drinking for drinking’s sake. “A typical night out usually starts with dinner somewhere in the city, often followed by drinks rather than a late-night club scene,” she says. “People are generally looking for good food, great conversation and a welcoming atmosphere.”

Where people go depends on the mood. The Viaduct remains popular for waterfront drinks and celebrations, while Ponsonby and Karangahape Road offer neighbourhood bars, wine bars and creative cocktail venues. Britomart and Commercial Bay draw people looking for everything from casual after-work drinks to more elaborate experiences.

“Pubs still play an important role, especially for watching sport or casual gatherings, but Auckland’s bar scene has evolved significantly over the past few years,” Vidhya says. “Cocktail bars have become much more mainstream, with people increasingly choosing venues that offer quality drinks, great service and a memorable atmosphere.” Hotel bars, she adds, are also becoming more popular when they offer something distinctive rather than feeling as though they exist exclusively for guests.

Rooftops are part of that shift. Venues such as Rooftop at QT, Hi-SO, Queens and Bar Albert make the most of Auckland’s harbour views, particularly around golden hour. The view is a useful selling point, but it can only carry a bar so far. Eventually, somebody has to order a second drink.

At Aka, head chef Edberg Loh brings East and Southeast Asian influences to a menu designed for sharing. His experience includes restaurants at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, as well as Auckland’s Cafe Hanoi and Xuxu Dumpling Bar. The menu combines traditional recipes with modern techniques, an approach that fits a drinks programme built around bold flavours and Asian-inspired twists.

Sharing plates make sense when nobody is particularly keen to commit to one dish for the entire evening. Add a few plates to the table, order another round, and dinner becomes less of a scheduled activity and more of a reason to stay.

The writer was in Auckland on the invitation of the Radisson Group