Overview
Masters of cocktails and cool vibes, Heather Garland and Alastair Walker, have added another spot to their already epic bar empire. Rocketman, located next to the owners' first love, Caretaker, has burst onto the bar scene with the promise of delicious drinks and late-night shenanigans.
To get to Rocketman, bar-goers will enter the door through a pathway lit up with red lights, before stumbling into a retro, colourful space that attempts to convince drinkers they are, in fact, inside a rocket. This is something you might believe once you've had a few special apple juices.
Caretaker and Deadshot operate like speakeasies. There is no menu — bartenders instead chat to each patron and figure out what kind of drink may take their fancy.
Rocketman takes a more traditional approach with a proper menu filled with beers, wines and cocktails. Our picks are Life on Mars, made up of tequila, fresh citrus, sugar, grapefruit soda and chilli, and Heroes, a spiced coffee rum, Eighthirty cold brew coffee and homemade condensed coconut-oat milk concoction.
One of the most popular tipples is bound to be the Rocketman's Giggle Juice. The apples are juiced on the spot, before being mixed with your spirit of choice and served with a smile. At $11 a pop, you're bound to be giggling in no time.
You might even giggle all the way to Ms Kitty's Parlour, another secret gem found in the depths of this establishment. Set behind a cupboard is a parlour adorned with pink velvet curtains, a disco ball and neon lights. For $20, you and seven of your pals can lock yourselves away for an hour and attempt to belt out anything from 'Single Ladies' to 'My Heart Will Go On'.
If you would prefer to leave the singing to the professionals, Rocketman has you covered, with live jazz and 90s hip hop groups performing cult classic songs, bound to get the party started — if it wasn't already.
Rocketman is open every Wednesday to Saturday, from 5–9pm. It can be found at 10 Roukai Lane, Auckland CBD, above Caretaker.