There are Australia's 4 bars to get your drink on
1. Maybe Sammy
To describe Maybe Sammy is to talk about an experience. The cocktails are all of a calibre you’d expect from a bar on this list, the service attentive, the interior – a palette of pastels and rich greens – Art Deco and beautiful; but that’s not what makes the bar special. The influences which the leadership team – owners Andrea Gualdi, Martin Hudak, Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo – have brought together are international: the great hotel bars of Europe; the swinging sounds of 1960s Las Vegas; bartenders with backgrounds from all over the world; and a very Italian way of hospitality that is nourishing and bold, loud and – most importantly – a lot of fun. Maybe Sammy does all that a grand hotel cocktail bar does, but with more vibrance and whimsy (and without the hotel). Whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday when you stop by, you’re offered an escape from the everyday outside. Maybe Sammy is the winner of the Best Bar in Australasia Award 2021.
Address: 115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney, Australia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maybesammysydney/
Cartina OK!
It’s the little Sydney bar making a big mark on the Australian bar scene: Cantina OK! is a micro mezcal must-visit making creative use of a disused single car garage. With space for only 20 people inside, it’s a bar with big ambitions – the mezcal poured has been selected by owners Jeremy Blackmore and Alex Dowd and their team over successive visits to far-flung palenques of Mexico. The bartenders are outfitted in white with bold red aprons, and know the stories behind what they’re pouring. They’ve become famous for their take on the Margarita, made with tequila and a lick of mezcal, and served over hand-shaved ice, but with a team comprising the best of the new guard of Australian bartenders, there are weekly cocktails worthy of any of the world’s great cocktail bars.
Address: Council Place, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Facebook: https://www.okokok.com.au/
Above Board
This isn’t a bar you stumble upon. You walk down Chopper Lane, a back alley covered in graffiti, and up a set of stairs at the back of a beer bar. Step inside, however, and you’re someplace else, somewhere special: there is no back bar, liquor is poured from decanters, bartending accoutrements are put away out of sight, everything in its place, through a system of drawers and shelves hidden within the bar top. Above Board is an intimate space – the bar seats just 16 people – propelled by the vision and personality of owner and bartender Hayden Lambert. The cocktails are a mix of classic preparations and signature drinks Lambert has perfected over decades of bartending. Lambert and one other bartender play door host, bartender, conversationalist, and bar back; there’s no Rotovap nor avant garde techniques, just old-fashioned hospitality and drinks made in a classical manner.
Address: Level 1, 306 Smith Street Collingwood, VIC, Australia 3066
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AboveBoardBar/photos/?ref=page_internal
Brydi
Modern Australian bar by Luke Whearty & Aki Nishikura focusing on Australian grown produce and locally sourced ingredients.
Address: Level 1, 306 Smith Street Collingwood, VIC, Australia 3066
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AboveBoardBar/photos/?ref=page_internal
