Bartenders From 16 of the World's Best Venues Are Coming to Sydney for Maybe Sammy's New Cocktail Festival

Acclaimed bartenders from around the globe will do free guest shifts across Maybe Sammy's Sydney venues and The Strand Rooftop in April.
Ben Hansen
February 09, 2023

Maybe Sammy is no stranger to awards, landing on the World's Best Bar list multiple times. The Sydney institution has now pulled some strings with its fellow acclaimed mixologists to pull together a massive lineup for a new eight-day cocktail festival.

Popping up across the Maybe Group's several Sydney spots, the Maybe Cocktail Festival will present free pop-ups from 16 of the world's best bars between Wednesday, April 12–Wednesday, April 19. For the festival, the hospitality group has enlisted the help of 12 international venues that landed on The World's 50 Best Bars 2022, as well as an additional three venues that placed between 50 and 100 on the longlist.

Some of the spots you can expect to feature on the lineup include Barcelona's Sips (number three on the list), plus Alquímico from Colombia, Jigger & Pony from Singapore, Mexico's Hanky Panky and BKK Social Club from Thailand, all of which landed within the top 15.

Other bars set to feature from across Europe, Asia, North America and South America include Drink Kong, Cafe La Trova, Tres Monos, Line, Overstory, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, L'Aqntiquario, Schofield's, Nutmeg & Clove, Sweet Liberty and Termini.

Free events will be held at the OG Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, as well as Dean & Nancy on 22, Sammy Junior, The Strand Hotel Rooftop and Maybe Group's soon-to-open Paddington cocktail bar El Primo Sanchez.

"I'm not sure I can think of anything more fun than being able to enjoy a cocktail experience from some of the best bars in the world every night, for a week," the festival's co-director Martin Hudak said.

As part of the arrangement with the featured bartenders, the international guests are all encouraged to explore Sydney's bar scene and take in some of the other world-class hospitality venues the city has to offer.

"We want this applauded, well-connected group of bar folk to experience just how good our bars are here. It's really challenging for Australian bars to get the same global awareness as bars in Europe and the Americas as it's easier and cheaper for bartenders to travel between those continents," continues Hudak.

The full program of guest shifts from the international bartenders will be announced next month.

The Maybe Cocktail Festival will take place across Sydney between Wednesday, April 12–Wednesday, April 19.

Top image: Steven Woodburn.

Published on February 09, 2023 by Ben Hansen
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