Our Land is Alive - Luxury Bar Review
*disclosure: I attended a gifted launch of this bar, though all opinions are honest my own*
Preface
Is anyone else a sucker for a good bar? I feel like I’m a champagne taste girl at heart and love a fancy evening out. But then again, you can’t beat the feeling of being pampered and having a boujee night out! (that’s right, boujee!).
I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event of Our Land is Alive at the Cordis, Auckland. Having been a regular guest of the Cordis, my expectations were sky high as their service has always been top tier. I usually come for the odd high tea, if I’m being honest you really can’t find a better high tea in Auckland, quite possibly New Zealand – the Cordis just does not disappoint.
So, once I had received the invitation to come and join The Cordis for their launch event I could never say no! In fact, it might have been the fastest I replied yes to a PR event in my life!
Evidently, I was excited, but I was also curious, I actually had no idea that they had been working on this new bar of awesome proportions. Firstly, the name caught my attention. Our Land is Alive. This is already a super unique name that is so different to regular bars who’d usually just have one word or just be super typical, no hate but it’s the truth. Moreover, I initially felt a connection to New Zealand, quite clearly “our land”. New Zealand is also known as “The Land of the Long White Cloud”, this goes back to Maori legends about the birth of our beautiful country. Moreover, New Zealand has some of the most beautiful and unique flora and fauna found stretched across all landscapes, this immediately resonated with me.
Upon further research into the bar and what it’s all about, I discovered that it’s the first ‘New Zealand’ bar in New Zealand. By ‘New Zealand’ everything inside the bar from the furniture, art, drinks, food, etc. is locally sourced right from here in Aotearoa. This was an awesome idea I thought and was so excited to be part of such an awesome initiative.
Interior
The interior of the bar was so well thought out and beautifully arranged. What immediately caught my eye was the juxtaposition between the dark washed wooden rustic-like furniture contrasted with one of the most beautiful murals I’ve ever seen. The robustness of the tables, chairs, and build of the lounge accentuated the strong roots we have here in New Zealand, but as you gaze up to the ceiling, you’ll see painted perfectly a long white cloud that extends the length of the bar. This being a nod to the idea of the long white cloud, but also highlighting the beauty, hope, and opportunity New Zealand has. It was truly a gift to be able to experience such a beautiful spot. There is ample seating for a relatively busy night, however, the location is rather secluded and intimate, this definitely enhanced the sophisticated feeling and for lack of a better word, made it feel very ‘Boujee’.
Moreover, if it’s a nice evening/day there is quite a bit of outdoor seating that is undercover. Plus, space for a live performer to enhance that bar-like vibe. You can check out more from the @ourlandisalive Instagram page linked below.
Food:
At the launch event, we were lucky enough to sample a huge variety of the menu in little bite-sized forms. Now there is absolutely nothing negative I can even fathom saying about the food. Quite clearly Our Land is Alive has worked hard on not only sourcing some fabulous ingredients but also some fantastic chefs. I won’t discuss the whole menu, but I will say that a few of my favorites were the insanely creatively put-together cheese board, fries (duh), beef brisket, ribs, and desserts. I’ve also included some images below so you can get a ‘taste’ of what you’ll be in for if you visit.
Drinks:
Again, in the drinks department, I definitely did not have a reason to complain. Bringing up the idea of having a bit of a champagne taste, my expectations were high. I didn’t want to be disappointed by cheap-tasting cocktails or wine that just did not pair well with the food. Initially, upon arrival, I had a glass of beautiful champagne, remember that everything is sourced/made in New Zealand, so it really is a fantastic opportunity to showcase some of NZ’s best beverage suppliers. The bar had set up a variety of cocktails available to try, knowing how much I love cocktails, I was in pretty quick. I started out with the Kiwi Espresso Martini, now this is something I’m pretty picky about. But wow I was overwhelmed with deliciousness at the marriage of insanely smooth espresso and liquor as it seductively slipped down my throat. I had to go back for more!
Next, I tried a delicious gin-inspired drink called the Kikorangi Fizz, Yuzu Tonic, and Lemon Juice mixed perfectly with Lighthouse Dry gin was not a disappointment. Not only was the drink delicious, but the presentation was out of this world. Accompanying this delicious mix of alcohol was a quite large block of purple-colored ice. As a result, it tinted the drink purple too, this made for a beautiful look and really did bring the drink alive.
I also wanted to quickly mention that the choice of glassware for each drink had been really well thought out. The gin was served in a beautiful open balloon G&T-style glass. Quite contrasting to a regular espresso martini glass the Kiwi Espresso Martini was served in a taller eve coupe glass. I am not aware of where the glass has been blown, but it is again local.
There were clearly a much larger variety of drink options available, though I had to make special mentions of the above. Some of the spirits supplied were from Black Collar Distillery, located in the Bay of Islands, their originally small distilling company was able to expand over the past few years into something much more commercial, also now producing award-winning gins, vodkas and rums. I had the pleasure of chatting to some of the spirit makers and it was truly fascinating to hear the story behind the distillery, their growth, and their future plans. I really think this was an important mention, this is because it felt really full circle as I was standing in the bar. Talking to the producers, seeing NZ nature and the relaxed NZ atmosphere really did make me feel alive, safe, and happy. A feeling I commonly feel in my home of Aotearoa.
Our Land is Alive is a fantastic opportunity to support locals throughout these hard times during the pandemic. It truly bought me back to appreciating everything that we have in our small country! For anyone who is looking for more of a personalized and bespoke bar experience, I would not look further than Our Land is Alive. Thanks again for Our Land is Alive for having me.
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