Few round-ups in the world of drinking and socialising matter more these days than The World’s 50 Best. The long-running competition regularly flies through each year, giving us a quick, concise bucket list of where to eat, drink and stay on our travels.

It’s then always nice to see Sydney represented in a list like World’s 50 Best Bars, which is mostly dominated by Europe, Asia and the US each year. And while only one of our many cocktail bars made the cut this year, the nod is a victory for the city’s creative bar culture.

The bar: usual suspect, Maybe Sammy.

Since 2019, co-owners Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo have turned Maybe Sammy into a standard-raising, boozy behemoth that’s quickly become one of Sydney’s star attractions for anyone looking for a unique tipple. For 2024, the hotel-bar-without-a-hotel clocks in at No.26 on the list.

The reasoning is the same as always. Maybe Sammy was picked for its heightened sense of theatre and big-kid fun times, fuelled by gimmicky party hats, bubble blowing machines and dancing bartenders dressed in slick white suites. Of course, the atmosphere wasn’t the only thing heaped with lavish praise, with the World’s 50 Best panel also pointing to Maybe Sammy’s dynamic cocktail list and subversive creations like the Tuxedo with Noilly, Prat Dry Vermouth, Maraschino, Bitters, Absinthe and Procera Green Dot Gin.

The bar’s Wes Anderson-esque atmosphere has recently inspired by a new menu and concept: The Grand Maybe Sammy Hotel. Not only has this introduced new creations into the mix, but it’s also added an interactive Monopoly board to the experience, stepping things up for the bar’s colourful humour.

And while the top 50 is the headline, World’s 50 Best also release a longlist detailing the rest of the shortlist that came in at slots 50-100. For 2024, Sydney’s diminutive Mezcal favourite Cantina OK! scrapped in at No.96. The laneway bar, which can barely fit 20 patrons at a time, is another hotspot that firmly established a new-wave for Sydney’s cocktail culture when it also opened in 2019.

Also winning for Australia is two of Melbourne’s best bars. The charming Caretaker’s Cottage was Australia’s highest ranking bar this year, just missing out on the top 20 at No.21. Meanwhile, the studious Byrdi makes an impressive entry in the top 50 at No.35, a big leap from its 2020 debut at No.80.

So, what are the top ten bars in the world?

If you’re curious about what bars made the coveted top 10 list, we’ve rounded them up below so you’re across the best when you’re gallivanting around the world.

Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
Bar Leone, Hong Kong
Sips, Barcelona
Tayer+Elementary, London
Jigger & Pony, Singapore
Line, Athens
Tres Monos, Buenos Aries
Alquímico, Cartagena
Zest, Seoul
Paradiso, Barcelona

Maybe Sammy

Address: 115 Harrington St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9241 4970
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Thursday (4:30pm – 12am); Friday – Saturday (3:30pm – 1am)

maybesammy.com

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