The Gold Coast’s newest hot spot Aviary Rooftop Bar will officially launch this week, offering an upmarket dining and entertainment experience with a birds-eye view of the iconic Gold Coast skyline. Nestled on the sixth floor of the new Mantra at Sharks hotel surrounded by gum trees and mountains, Aviary has been purpose built for the stylish individual – providing an escape from the everyday with lush surrounds, expansive views and a decadent drinks menu with an authentic Italian wood fire pizza offering.

Southport Sharks CEO Dean Bowtell said Aviary is sure to amaze customers with its unique and impressive features. “Aviary has been designed to capture the imagination of our customers,” said Mr Bowtell. “Here you can take a seat at the pizza bar and have a chat with the chef as he prepares your order or pull up a chair at the ample bar seating and interact with our mixologists as they shake up your favourite cocktail.”

Aviary provides two main areas with a dedicated indoor section complete with seating nooks, high bars and share tables and an outdoor area, The Nest, offering an open-air experience with a pop-up bar and plenty of premium seating positioned perfectly to take advantage of the spectacular views. Those with good taste will be in perfect company as they explore the extensive and intrinsically unique drinks menu featuring a range of top shelf spirits, specially selected wine offerings and craft beer.

Because most great evenings begin with a cocktail, the menu has been carefully crafted with each tipple infused with an Aviary flair and named with a nod to the bird theme. Try the Road Runner Margarita, Kookaburra or Red Hot Bird, an invigorating spice-fuelled caffeine kick starter with chilli vodka, choc-chilli liqueur and espresso.

Southport Shark’s food and beverage manager Adam Paterson led the Aviary team in compiling their comprehensive beverage selection featuring bespoke gin, whisky and rum offerings plus a large range of international and home-grown beverages and of course, the extensive cocktail menu. “The cocktail list was developed over several months with our mixologists experimenting with different ingredients to make wild and creative concoctions,” said Mr Paterson.

“The objective was to create great tasting cocktails with a flavour unique to Aviary utilising the finest ingredients and some unusual ones too, like the Black Swan, a spiced herb blend with activated charcoal powder mixed with Settlers Yuzu Gin, Mandarin Liqueur, Licor43 and lemon creating a striking black concoction.” There are plenty of tasty options for those who like their cocktails to come with a side of nutrients in the ‘Not So Ugly Duckling’ section of the menu which features ingredients not often seen on a bar menu including prebiotics, coconut, acai and kombucha.

Set to become known as the best pizzas on the Gold Coast, Aviary offers a bespoke pizza menu along with traditional Italian-influenced share foods. The woodfired pizzas are made with authentic flour sourced from the Italian head chef’s hometown outside of Venice and cooked in a fiery pizza oven reaching 400 degrees and cooking pizzas in just 90 seconds – the result is delicious light crust and flavour filled toppings that reflect tradition and creativity.

Favourites from the pizza menu include The Burrata which features smoked burrata, shaved prosciutto, tomato, caramelised onion and arugula and another must-try is the Truffled Vegan featuring cauliflower, wild mushrooms, vegan mozzarella, hazelnuts, truffle tapenade and arugula.

Aviary Rooftop Bar is an entertainment destination for discerning guests, playing contemporary lounge music which moves to DJ’s spinning house music on Friday and Saturday nights. Sundays will see acoustic musicians take the stage, providing an opportunity for guests to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere as the sun sets on the last hours of the weekend.

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