Maybe Sammy is an award-winning cocktail bar that boasts a sophisticated 1950s-inspired décor, impeccable service, and a unique menu of classic and creative cocktails, making it a must-visit destination for cocktail enthusiasts and visitors to the city.

Finding the bar for the first time is half the fun. Head into the doorway, and start your walk up the stairs until you find a white door with a responsible service of alcohol plaque on the door. You’ll be welcomed by what appears to be a library-style bar, head upstairs and you’ll find one of the best rooftop bars in Sydney that overlooks the CBD. We stick to the classics when we visit, but you could explore any one of their fan-favourite cocktails. This Sydney bar isn’t a great option for food.

It turns out one of Sydney’s newest bars is also one of the best. Located in the basement of Hinchcliff House near Circular Quay, we first visited Apollonia in late 2022. In the time since then, we’ve been back a few times as we can’t go past their range of cocktails and overall atmosphere. Check it out mid-week because the venue is increasing in popularity and is very small, with enough space for around forty guests. In terms of drinks, the pineapple negroni is our pick of the bunch.

No list of the best bars in Sydney is complete without a prohibition-style bar and Palmer & Co is leading the pack in this department. For the non-history buffs, this means jazz, oldie costumes, and some great whiskey-based cocktails. In terms of drinks, we can’t go past their signature cocktails, with our favourite being the Apache with Jim Beam Rye Whiskey, Campari, Lemon, Honey Ginger, and Saline. The range of snacks on offer here is one of the best in the city.

The Baxter Inn is a Sydney bar with the widest range of whiskey in the city. If you’re a fan of live blues, visit on a Sunday and relax with some great music and an even better range of house cocktails. We can’t go past the Nighthawks with house-blended scotch, sweet vermouth, PX sherry, coffee bean amaro, and mole bitters. Of course, a range of American beers, pale ales, and wines are also available with a focus on Australian varietals.

Home to the best happy hour in Sydney, Employees Only is welcoming to all. We simply cannot go past the happy hour that offers half-price food and drinks from 5-6pm on Tues-Thur, including their famous Truffle Mornay 700g lobster (priced down to just $80). Sitting somewhere between a pub and a bar, we usually head in for a drink after work, so their range of tap beers hit the spot. However, the cocktails are also a smash hit amongst our team, with the ‘Improved Margarita’ being a favourite.

A delicious concoction of whisky, art and cocktails right in the centre of Sydney’s Chinatown, Bancho Bar is the ultimate drinking hole for whisky cocktail lovers in Sydney. The menu features an impressive selection of Japanese and Scotch whisky, with plenty of rare and independent bottlings to keep you coming back for more. If you’re looking for a bar with the best highballs in Sydney, you can’t go past Bancho’s Yuzu Royale.

Mid-century decadence awaits you at Dean and Nancy on 22. We’re big fans of this intimate bar known for its playful cocktails and its views, located on a rooftop in Sydney’s CBD. When it comes to the drinks, we can’t go past the ‘Great Synagogue’ complete with wyborowa vodka, cocchi americano, white cacao, peach, and beetroot soda. They’ve also got a selection of nibbles to keep you going throughout the evening—burrata, oysters, and cured tuna, just to name a few.

With a focus on gin, The Barber Shop is found by walking through the back of (you guessed it) a barbershop. This Sydney bar has become an increasingly popular choice from the spirits menu, and with more than 80 bottles of gin on their shelves, you’ll be spoilt for choice. They have you covered on the food front too, with one of our favourite sausage rolls in Sydney. Yes, in a bar.

One of the best Japanese bars in Sydney, Tokyo Bird is what your sake dreams are made of. Hidden away in Surry Hills, it’s a low-key venue that we love for its Japanese cocktails, favourites of ours include the Yuzu Spritz and Japanese Negroni that use Roku Gin, Punt e Mes sweet vermouth, orange umeshu (plum wine), and a slice of orange. In terms of food, we can’t go past the katsu chicken nuggets that have us asking ‘McWho?’.

ANTE offers the perfect escape from the bustle on King Street. Modelled after the Japanese concept of jazzu kissa, which is a jazz cafe or bar where people come for the records just as much as they do the bar, you will have no shortage of options to choose from, with over 65 sake from 21 sake breweries across Japan available, as well as other spirits such as whisky and gin. A rich Japanese influence on the menu with flavours like kanzuri, mirin and katsuobushi all making an appearance.

Also one of the best-hidden bars in Sydney, The Cumberland takes secrecy to the max. We’ll do our best to explain how you get here; You must first walk through a fridge in a deli and down a spiral staircase before being shown to your table. Once you’ve found your seat, the visually stunning cocktails will be just as Instagram-worthy as the place's décor. We’re also suckers for a good snack, and their antipasti options are great for a quick bit after work.

Odd Culture in Newtown is the finest addition to Sydney’s bar scene we’ve seen in a long time. With beers for days thanks to 12 rotating taps, fermented cocktails and an extensive wine list championing natural, small-batch producers, you’re always bound to find something to satisfy your 5 pm drink cravings. The space is big, breezy and buzzing, with an upstairs dining area where you can expect small dishes ranging from pickles to fried mashed potatoes.

Fortunate Son is the definition of a mixed bag, which is why we love it. Decked out with mustard-coloured vinyl deco stools, random nicknacks and plenty of neon, this place is immediately fun and different. A bell is even set off whenever a customer tips the bar – a reminder to pay your fortunes forward. Their drinks menu boasts a 300-bottle collection of tequila, mezcal, gin and whisky, accompanied by a range of classic and innovative cocktails.

We typically find ourselves hanging around the mild-mannered Dolphin Hotel after a Sydney Swans game, but the venue also plays host to a wine room and bar that’s one of the best in Sydney. If you’re looking for a range of biodynamic, low-intervention, or natural wines at a Sydney bar, this is one of our top picks. Think Frank Cornelisson, Jumping Juice, and Domaine Pithon-Paille. Also a great bar for food, we can’t go past their wood-fired pizzas.

Picollo Bar in Kings cross is a tiny, vibrant bar that pays homage to the area’s colourful past, and when we say tiny, we mean it—with only 12 seats up for grabs. The food menu boasts classic but delicious takes on hot dogs and toasties, but it is the drinks menu that’s the star of the show, spanning eight pages complete with wine, spirits, cocktails, aperitifs and aromatised wines. Recently revitalised under the guidance of Bartender Magazine founder, Dave Spanton.

When you’re mentioning the coolest bars in Sydney, Mary’s Newtown often finds itself in the conversation thanks to their combination of heavy metal, burgers, and great drinks. It’s come to find itself with a bit of a reputation, a staple in the nightlife of Newtown the heavy metal rock venue is known in particular for its exceptional burgers. While they don’t share a cocktail menu online, we recommend sticking to the classics, whiskey sour anyone?

Dive bar come 70's-porn-chic, Double Deuce Lounge is not afraid to shake things up in the Sydney bar scene, and we are here for it. Vintage playboy covers adorn the walls, plush sofas and moody lighting set the scene for the ultimate drinking spot to enjoy a classic cocktail menu, a tinny and wine list combining a few of the natural bottles with some retro classics, just like it was in the 70's. If spending a few minutes in a kissing booth has always been a fantasy of yours, they have one here.

If you’re looking for one of the best tequila bars in Sydney, look no further than Tio’s Cerveceria. With over 100 different varieties behind the bar, expect the cocktails to follow suit. It’s also worth mentioning that a lot of these tequilas are hard to find in Australia, so don’t feel bad if you’re unfamiliar with the menu because the friendly bar staff will surely help with a recommendation.

Frank Mac's is housed in sandstone walls of the original 1840s building and serves as an ode to Sydney’s past with a quintessential drinking experience in The Rocks. Downstairs is cosy and intimate, featuring vintage leather banquettes and a fireplace. In terms of drinks, these guys are one of the biggest botanical collections in Sydney, stocking over 100 juniper blends that have been sourced from all corners of the globe, and the cocktail list is also predominantly gin-based.

The Duke of Clarence is the 18th-century, London tavern-style pub that doubles as one of the best bars in Sydney CBD. In the colder months, you’ll want to get in early and poach the seats by the fireplace. They’ve got all the brews you’d expect on tap at a pub, as well as a fancy cocktail menu at the bar that includes one of our favourite Old Fashioneds in Sydney. Their food menu is just as British, with fish butties and Sunday roasts.

Charlie Parker’s like to mix things up a bit, offering innovative takes on drinks and bar snacks that we can’t get enough of. Just downstairs from Fred’s, this intimate basement bar is the perfect end to a night of fine dining or whenever you’re feeling thirsty, really. The cocktail list of full of exciting concoctions crafted around seasonal produce and botanicals. All of the food is prepared in Fred’s kitchen. We love the ‘Icons Only’ made with Absolut Elyx Vodka, Sweet Kiwi Mead, Tonic, Mint.

Bondi Liquor Co. is an artisan distillery and bar based in Bondi Beach. They’re the proud producers of the suburb’s first locally made gin, which they love to show off with a cocktail menu that’s built for the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. One of Sydney’s best new bars, we love their range of Martinis with our favourite being the ‘Saltwater’ with their own gin, lillet, st germain, and rosemary syrup. This Sydney bar also has a great range of food, with weekly specials.

If you’re looking for a big Saturday night, don’t go past Sydney’s best tiki bar, Jacoby’s Tiki Bar in Enmore. One of the most fun bars on our list, we love how the interior decorators have focused on banana palm and fish décor across the walls. This theme extends to the drinks, where the sweet, sugary cocktails are also named after Twin Peaks references if you happen to be a fan. Our favourites include the Damn Fine Coffee (Espresso Martini), and the Big Kahuna.

Papa Gede’s Bar is named after the voodoo spirit of lust and laughter. This makes sense, as there’s no shortage of spirits at this bar. Their friendly staff are eager to mix a drink you won’t forget, with favourites of ours including the ‘Obituary’ with whisky, vegetal, and ginger. You can partake in monthly spirit tastings on a Monday night, and they’re dog friendly if you’re cruising in on a lazy Friday or Saturday afternoon.

Another Merivale wonder to grace the streets of Sydney, Little Felix is a french-inspired cocktail bar offering “An intimate slice of 1920s Paris.” Refined yet unpretentious, Little Felix sits right next door to its big brother, Felix Restaurant, located on Ash Street. Drink plenty of champagne (of course) and wine poured from magnum bottles, along with classic cocktails, and you will be transported to the streets of Paris without having to leave Sydney.

One of our favourite bars in Sydney for rum, The Lobo has more than 250 local and international rums hand-picked for your palate. Essentially a Caribbean holiday in the streets of Sydney, the banana palms and rattan chairs dominate the décor. And just like any good bar, the bartenders like to show off here so make sure you have your phones ready for a show.

One of the best bars in Sydney for in-house sodas, PS40 knows how to pick a niche and do it oh-so-well. The perfect option for those looking to cut back on alcohol, their soda range includes the likes of wattle cola, smoked lemonade, and bush tonic, just to name a few. For those wanting something stronger, there’s also beer, wines from small-batch wine exporter Lo-Fo Wines and cocktails that make the most of the in-house sodas.

Earl’s Juke Joint is a Newtown institution, loved by locals for years, as the perfect spot to catch up with mates and enjoy a casual drink. Inspired by the bars found on the streets of New Orleans, it looks unassuming from the outside (it was previously a butcher.) However, stepping inside, you will be met with loud music, rustic decor and a drinks list featuring a selection of natural and skin-contact bottles alongside more traditional labels, fun cocktails and beers on tap.

For something a little bit classy, head to Dear Sainte Éloise, a classic Potts Point drinking hole. This place is all about the wine, featuring a wine list with over 400 wines. The staff are here to help you dissect the menu, and you’re bound to learn a thing or two no matter how much of a sommelier you consider yourself. While the seasonal food menu is small, it is the perfect companion designed to be enjoyed alongside the various wines.

For all things fun, head to this Nashville-inspired bar in Darlinghurst. Known for its laid-back vibes and kitsch decor, Shady Pines Saloon is an old-style dive bar where whiskey is the main focus, featuring plenty of small-batch producers, as well as cold beer and your favourite cocktails. Our favourite part? The bar is home to live music every Sunday, just like the good ol’ days.

While you may mistake Cantina OK! for a tiny garage on a back lane,inside, you will find something resembling a South American fever dream. The 20-seat cocktail bar specialises in rare spirits from Mexico, where the lively and welcoming bartenders will make you feel just like you’re at a bar in the streets of Mexico with mezcal for days.

In true speakeasy style, there are no rules here – it’s all about blues, soul and cocktails, and nothing else matters. Dimly lit, moody and high tables set the scene for the perfect late-night, 1930s-stylee bar, complete with an extensive cocktail list to keep you going – the Moscow Mule is one of the best we’ve ever had. They don’t take shortcuts when it comes to sustenance either, their food menu featuring substantial dishes from steaks to fried chicken and burgers.

Escape the hustle and bustle of the CBD at this cosy cocktail and wine bar. Its central location means it’s the ultimate hideaway no matter where you find yourself in the city, solidifying itself as an undisputed go-to for post-work drinks. Their wines lean more on the biodynamic, minimal intervention and natural styles, while our dynamic cocktail list is so broad you can find something to suit everyone’s taste.

With its walls covered in wrestling memorabilia, pin-ups and dildos, we can assure you that Ramblin Rascal Tavern is a unique cocktail bar. Behind this bar in Sydney, you’ll find everything from cocktails to cans, as well as great burgers and fried chicken.

Nestled on the corner of Foveaux Street and Riley Street (opposite Forrester's), you will find Italian Caffe’ and Negroni Bar Bar Conte. Offering a slice of Italy to the streets of Surry Hills, the star of the show here is the Negroni. A bar boasting a complete selection of Negronis accompanied by Italian Aperitivo dishes designed to be shared. A negroni (or six) accompanied by an intimate space and heart Italian food, we can’t think of a better way to while away a weekend.