The Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar, located at the top of the Archer Hotel, is a great place to sip craft cocktails or wine while taking in some of Napa’s famous views. The rooftop bar offers shaded seating at tables or in lounge chairs covered by umbrellas so you won’t melt in the sun. In the evenings, you won’t freeze as there are plenty of heaters available.
When you arrive at the rooftop bar you might be inclined to request seating at the bar that faces towards the Napa hills. While these seats do offer a more direct line of sight, you may not be as pleased with your choice. These seats also offer a view of rooftops and their air conditioning units. Instead, choose any other seat in the place that looks toward the hills and you will be pleased. It seems counterintuitive, but when seated you’ll have the best possible view—the hills minus the building tops.
Your second inclination may be to order wine. After all, you are in wine country. While the Archer does offer Napa wines, I would encourage you to try their craft cocktails. Save the wine for your tastings at the winery, and drink those bottles you bought at home. The craft cocktails aren’t your average cocktails, and it’s not likely you would have the ingredients to whip up your own “Dilly Dilly” or “The Gooseberries Taste Like Gooseberries” that is unless you keep ingredients like yellow chartreuse (made by actual monks), benedictine, or gooseberry syrup in your home bar.
We enjoyed 4 different cocktails while there. The Dilly Dilly, Gooseberries Taste Like Gooseberries, Rum is Gone, and Spring Forward. The Dilly Dilly (Loc & Union Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, Grapefruit Dill Oleo, Lemon, Mezcal Mist) was more on the bitter side, while the Gooseberries drink (High West Double Rye Whiskey, Benedictine, Gooseberry Syrup, Lemon) was reminiscent of a whiskey sour. The Rum is Gone (Cutwater Barrel Aged Rum, Pur Pear Liquor, Green Chartreuse, Lemon Thyme Oleo, Lime) was a bit spice forward (along the lines of spiced rum) and Spring Forward (Argonaut Brandy, Drambuie, Blood Orange, Cucumber, Cranberry Juice, and Orange Bitters) was a bit bitter, and the cucumber was not lost in the mix.
For happy hour you will find a short cocktail menu, which includes a Mule, Aperol Spritz, and a Margarita for $10 each. In addition, the house wine is $10 a glass. As mentioned above, I definitely recommend hitting the cocktails over wine/beer whether you are here for happy hour or not. If you are ordering off the happy hour menu try the Mule (Charbay Vodka, Ginger and Lime) served in copper…very refreshing on a warm summer night, and the ginger can have the reverse effect for a chilly evening.
The happy hour menu is short (Shishito Peppers $5, Sliders $5, Lobster Corn Dogs $10, and Chef Frankie’s Beef Jerky $6) so you may find yourself ordering from the regular menu as well. Of all the menu items, you have to try the Lobster Corn Dogs. If you’re not into lobster dogs, then go with the classic burger (saucy with grilled onions on a brioche bun) and crispy fries, or the sliders from the happy hour menu.
While the happy hour menu is a bit limited there are other days you can catch a bargain on food and drinks. On Mondays there are $2 oysters, Wednesdays bring $1 wings, and on Sundays, try bottomless Bloody Mary’s or Mimosas (starting at noon) for $25.
If you’re into live music, you’ll find it here on Thursdays starting around 5pm. Plan accordingly as it can be loud. If you were looking to hold an intimate conversation with someone, Thursdays at 5 probably aren’t the best time.
There is no shortage of happy hours in Napa, and the Sky & Vine’s Reverse Happy Hour (8pm to close) offers you an opportunity to hit a couple of other happy hours prior to arriving to this rooftop bar. Plan it right and you’ll enjoy a full afternoon and evening of discounted cocktails and food. For the sake of convenience you could even start your happy hour at Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse (happy hour is 4pm -7pm) located on the first floor of the Archer then move up to the rooftop at 8pm. That’s approximately 6hrs of happy hour (though you’ll need to take a break from ordering between 7pm and 8pm).
