These Four Sydney Bars Serve Mini Cocktails Perfect for a Quick Pre-Dinner Drink

This opulent, 50s-inspired bar from the Maybe Frank team has been opened less than one year and has already raked in a few awards. The bar was recently named as one of the world’s 50 best, and leading barman Andrea Gualdi won the Australian Bartender of the Year at the 2017 Diageo World Class Competition.

And you can nab a range of Gualdi’s creative cocktails on the cheap. A rotating list of miniature versions of classic and signature tipples feature on the menu for only $11 a pop — or, if you’re with a few mates, three-for-$30 and five-for-$50. A few namesake specialties on offer include the Mini Sammy (Never Never gin, Lillet, apricot brandy and absinthe) and the Mini Frank ( two types of scotch, Campari and cacao white).

And those really watching their wallets should head in during happy hour. From 4.30–5.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday, Maybe Sammy is shaking and stirring the above, plus mini martinis, negronis and irish coffees for just $5.50 a pop.

Merivale’s pint-sized tapas bar serves up innovative, Spanish-inspired snacks along with $8 half-size cocktails. These include sips like the Marques — made with Pali Cortado sherry, Campari and sweet vermouth — and the La Perla, blending Altos Reposado tequila and pear liqueur.

Alongside your drinks, you’ll have to grab a few snacks off of Head Chef Lauren Murdoch’s menu. On it, you’ll find small bites like whipped salted cod, or sliced jamón on crisp bread. Meanwhile, the tapas menu features a heftier selection of dishes hot off la plancha — the Spanish-style grill. Expect plates of ham or spinach croquettes, garlic and parsley cuttlefish, whole sardines, and, of course, that classic patatas bravas.

You can also match those tapas with sangria from the tap, mini $4 beer or a 100-millilitre serve from the short, snappy wine list. Bar Topa was even awarded Overall Winner for Best New Bar in our Best of 2018 Awards.

Image: Kopper Finch.

Take the lift in Westfield Sydney up to level seven and you’ll find this massive 1200-square-metre Middle Eastern restaurant and bar. Babylon is a luxe kingdom of meze, cocktails, slow-cooked meats and 300 wines to boot.

If the warm weather isn’t enough to coax you out of work on time, Babylon’s new aperitivo hour might. From 4–6pm weekdays, the rooftop bar is serving up $10 “pocket sized” (that is, 60ml) cocktails. Choose from two classics — a negroni and a gin martini — and two house specials: a prosecco, rhubarb and lemon concoction or one with gin, Lillet Blanc, black tea sherbet and absinthe mist. Plus, you can go even cheaper with Campari sodas and Amaro Montenegro sodas just five bucks.

Image: Steven Woodburn.

This decadent dining room attached to Merivale’s northern beaches pub The Newport offers gob-smacking views, plush 1930s-inspired surrounds and an ultra-fine food and drink offering. Bert’s hasn’t done anything by halves — except for its MarTeeny, of course. This mini martini is made using Absolut Elyx premium vodka, Portuguese fortified wine and lemon oil for a cool $12. It’s served with olives, cornichons and cocktail onions, and is ideal for ordering while you wait for your mate or date.

The brasserie and bar are also brimming with oysters and lobster, and the dining room if an extravaganza of jade green and coral pink, with an open kitchen as its centrepiece. And the well-priced MarTeeny let’s you indulge in all of this luxury without breaking the bank.