7 minute read
DRINKS: SIMPLY THE BEST
Simply the best
An Australian-first drinks festival is taking over Sydney this month.
WORDS Annabelle Cloros
PHOTOGRAPHY Steven Woodburn; DS Oficina
16 BARS, 10 countries, eight nights — aka the Maybe Cocktail Festival. This month, the crème de la crème of the bartending world will travel to Sydney to take part in an inaugural event spearheaded by The Maybe Group, the force behind the Best Bar in Australasia Maybe Sammy as well as Dean & Nancy on 22, Sammy Junior and newcomer El Primo Sanchez.
The festival is the first of its kind to be held outside the realms of The World’s 50 Best Bars program and aims to inspire participants as much as it does drinkers. Hospitality speaks to Martin Hudak in the lead up to the festivities about how he hopes the event will show the world just how special Australia’s bar culture is.
El Primo Sanchez’s Primo Margarita
The Maybe Group Co-Founders Stefano Catino and Martin Hudak are no strangers to the world stage. The bartenders and business owners run Australia’s highest-ranking bar Maybe Sammy, which has cemented its place on The World’s 50 Best Bars list ever since it opened its doors in The Rocks four years ago.
–Martin Hudak
Hudak and Catino have strong ties to the bartending community, with the pair representing the local bar sector at various drinks events. But the two often found themselves as an anomaly at overseas events, which begs the question — what do people think about our bars? “Whenever we travel, it always seems like we’re the only ones from Australia,” says Hudak. “It felt like we should have more out there and show the world that we’re really amazing when it comes to hospitality. In our company, we don’t just want to take, we want to give, and we understand not everyone can travel across the world like we do. So, the idea was to bring the world’s best bars to the city for a week to inspire our peers and to inspire the bartenders, too. We want them to go back home and say, ‘Whoa, the bars are incredible, and the level of hospitality and drinks is beyond’, because we deserve that.”
Maybe Sammy
Pulling off a festival requires many, many sets of hands — which is where Public Hospitality comes into the picture. The Maybe Group and Public recently launched El Primo Sanchez in Paddington together, making the festival partnership a timely and natural fit. “We do lots of guest shifts, so we know how hard it is to organise,” says Hudak. “We asked Public for help in terms of execution, and each bar will be brought here by a specific brand. They all jumped on board straight away. Each brand sponsors a bar for a night, and they will all be hosted at one of our venues or one of Public Hospitality’s.”
There are currently 16 bars taking part in the program, with talent travelling from Greece, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Italy, Argentina, the US and the UK. The goal was to fill out the program with venues doing things differently in terms of their skillsets, backstories and cocktail-making ethea. “We wanted to bring venues who can influence local bars because of their origins — we’re not just going to bring bars from London and Singapore because everyone talks about them,” says Hudak. “We wanted bars from places such as Colombia and Argentina because their approach to drinks is very different — or maybe not…we don’t know. But all of them are on the list for different reasons whether it’s for sustainability or maybe the owner is the best bartender.”
El Primo Sanchez’s Paloma
Come 12 April, two to three bartenders from Sips (Spain); Alquimico (Colombia); Jigger & Pony (Singapore); Hanky Panky (Mexico); BKK Social Club (Thailand); Drink Kong (Italy); Café La Trova (US); Tres Monos (Argentina); Line (Greece); Overstory (US); A Bar with Shapes for a Name (UK); L’Antiquario (Italy); Schofield’s Bar (UK); Nutmeg & Clove (Singapore); Sweet Liberty (US) and Bar Termini (UK) will ascend on Sydney for a week. Accepting the invite was a default yes for each and every bar team, with many having never spent time in Australia before. “It was a split second, ‘Why are you even asking me? Tell me when and I will be there’,” says Hudak.
“When we announced the festival, bars were asking if they could come, too. Some even said they would fly themselves over — they just wanted to be here with us. We will see a variance of bars — one uses local, sustainable produce from a farm in Colombia; we have the best bars from Singapore and Bangkok; dive bars; Cuban bartenders from Miami who dance and sing and we will have the most minimalistic bar where the owner is very particular about their approach.”
Twin Peaks at Dean & Nancy on 22
Each bar will have full control of the four cocktails they create, with the only parameters set around spirits. Maybe Sammy staff will be on deck to help bartenders source ingredients and assist with prep for the guest shifts, which will be held at venues determined by the style of the guest bar. “Latino bars will be at El Primo Sanchez, dive bars will be at Maybe Sammy and hotel bars will be at Dean & Nancy,” says Hudak. The events are all free to attend and cocktail tokens will be available to purchase at each venue on arrival.
There will also be a dedicated Australian night on 17 April, which will see six venues from Melbourne and Sydney come together behind the bar. “Re-, PS40, Cantina Ok!, Byrdi, Above Board and Caretaker’s Cottage will present cocktails made with Mr Black, but the main thing is having one night with the best bars in Australia — it’s a unique opportunity for people to enjoy the bars under one roof rather than hopping from city to city,” says Hudak.
Dean and Nancy on 22
But it’s not all about drinking — the festival will incorporate an educational component for the industry on 16 April. Visiting talent will participate in panel discussions and masterclasses at Carriageworks, which will be open for hospitality professionals to attend. “It’s great to try cocktails and have a night out, but we should also share knowledge and ideas in a more sophisticated environment,” says Hudak. “I want to encourage people from all states to come. How can we grow and inspire each other if we don’t get out there or bring the world here? You can talk to the greatest bartenders in the world in one city for one week. I’ve never seen something like this done in Australia.”
Find out more information on the festival and register for the industry event at maybecocktailfestival.com
THE RUN SHEET
12 April
5–8pm // BKK Social and Jigger and Pony at Dean & Nancy on 22
8–11pm // The Bar with Shapes for a Name and Bar Nouveau at Maybe Sammy
13 April
8–11pm // L’Antiquario and Drink Kong at Maybe Sammy
14 April
5–8pm // Sips at Maybe Sammy
8–11pm // Hanky Panky at El Primo Sanchez
15 April
5–8pm // Alquimico at El Primo Sanchez
8–11pm // Tres Monos at Maybe Sammy
16 April
10am–3pm // masterclasses at Carriageworks
4–10pm // Sweet Liberty pool party at The Norfolk
9pm–late // Café La Trova at El Primo Sanchez
17 April
6pm–late // The Best of Australia at The Strand Hotel
18 April
3–6pm // Termini at Sammy Junior
5–8pm // Schofield’s at Dean & Nancy on 22
8–11pm // Line at Maybe Sammy
19 April
3–6pm // Termini at Oxford House
8–11pm // Nutmeg & Clove at Maybe Sammy
