Best summer bars

10 William Street

Paddington

10 William Street is owned and operated by the guys from Fratelli Paradiso – that incredibly popular series of trattorias where the blackboard menus are written in Italian and recited by the waiters for whoever’s listening. The Paradisi opened these Paddington digs over a year ago now, and, while the place is still packed out, you no longer have to line up to get in. There’s more graffiti on the walls, there are slabs of Moretti tinnies and Italian water piled up along the walls and it feels like a properly settled wine bar now. Free yourselves up for a night at 10 William.

121 BC

Surry Hills

There are only a few things you need to know about 121 BC, the all-Italian wine bar that visits us in our dreams. The wine list is an ever-evolving, chopping-and-changing-on-a-weekly-basis beast taking in every region of Italy. You’ll probably meet manager Giorgio de Maria – he runs the place, alongside owner and chef Andrew Cibej. Snackwise, we like to order the whole inexpensive and ever-changing menu and set it up around us like a very fancy campsite. (Love those fresh walnuts and – oh boy – is that a fried sandwich?). Closed 26 Dec

Arcadia Liquors

Redfern

Arcadia is all about great service, friendly vibes and super fun times. The cocktail list makes all the right noises (Manhattans, White Ladies, Sidecars) and they’ll cheerfully throw together an Old Fashioned or sling you a beer. Given owners David Jank and Brett Pritchard both come from pub-land where pouring a good beer is about as important as breathing, you can be assured of quality tap control. There’s the crunchy, refreshing German brew, Spaten Beer, as well as a roving tap, which at the moment is a rich, golden natural lager from local brewers Young Henrys. Closed 25-26 Dec & 1 Jan

Baxter Inn

Sydney

Baxter Inn is a candle-lit basement bar with thick carpet, jazz and blues and toilets with some of the best acoustics in town. It’s kind of modelled on an old-school American Irish sports bar, only with no sport and much better whiskey. Unlike sister bar Shady Pines, the Baxter has beer on tap, as well as their own cellar featuring a nearly entirely Aussie collection including some wines and ports that haven’t seen the light of day since the 1920s. Baxter also stock 360 different whiskeys with more to come. That’s one for nearly every day of the year.

Black Bar

Pyrmont

We’re living in the age of the dive bar; the small milk crates’n’longies bar; the pop-up-art bar; the gig bar; the reworked pub and the alleyway bar. But then, where would you go when you wanted to frock’n’suit-up and take the town in a whirlwind of Snappers, Fizzes, Highballs and Old Fashioneds? Black Bar is the answer. And a fine answer it is, too. It’s got the look of a 1920s hotel bar, only with booze on proud display. Bartender Michael Chiem is barrel-ageing his own cocktails, there’s hand-chipped ice and there’s the Alamagoozlum – the first test to see if you’ve had too many of these is to see if you can spell it backwards.

Eau de Vie

Darlinghurst

Eau de Vie is the end of your night, standing to attention, waiting to greet you. Once you’re here, either sitting at the beautiful, long wooden bar or flopped out on one of the scarlet leather banquettes, it’s most likely you won’t be leaving until someone physically peels you away. Yes, the bar is well stocked with rare spirits, boutique bitters, antique glassware and cocktail tools. And yes, the cocktail drinking here is some of Sydney’s finest. But it can be just as much fun to rock up for a beer and a shot and some decent chat. It’s also a helluva lot cheaper.

Gardel's Bar

Surry Hills

At first, Gardel’s was seen as simply an extension of Porteño – the Argentinean grill-house Sydney just can’t get enough of. But it’s become more than that. The cocktail list is drawcard in and of itself. You might visit Gardel's for a Dirty Old Pal (a smoke-heavy version of the classic Old Pal, with Ardbeg whisky, sweet vermouth and Campari) but you’ll be staying for the Sex Panther. It’s the drink that’s illegal in nine countries and 60 per cent of the time, it works all the time. It’s a nostril-burning mix of Cognac, Branca Menta, stirred with coffee beans. Closed 22 Dec - 8 Jan

The Hazy Rose

Darlinghurst

Head straight up and be greeted by a dark and welcoming little bar run by some star talent including Harriet Leigh, Dominique Easter and Brendan Keown. The latter guy’s not only a gun bartender but he’s also quizmaster. Suffice to say you’ll receive good chat. Don’t go expecting a huge range of taxidermy on the walls or private whisky rooms or secret compartments or graffitied toilets. Just go for well made drinks, incredibly personable and knowledgeable service and a cosy Deco-style room filled with wooden booths, beautiful black wallpaper, armchairs and a bar you could lean against for hours. Closed 23 Dec - 3 Jan

Hinky Dinks

Darlinghurst

Raise your hands and give major snaps to Hinky Dinks, the cutest small bar in the land. Take a seat on one of the cherry-red stools and prepare yourself for a world of fun drinking. Bartenders-owners Dan Knight and Jeremy Shipley (until recently they worked together at Longrain), are all about making your bar-going experience a bunch of fun. Their Hinky Fizz – a paper cup filled with house-made strawberry-and-prosecco sorbet topped with gin and elderflower and a splash of grapefruit soda – is a lurid, refreshing and altogether girly drink (though we know manly men who love it too). Closed 23 - 26 Dec & 31 Dec - 1 Jan

Icebergs

Bondi

There’s no doubt Icebergs is the most visually blessed bar in Sydney, overlooking Bondi Beach where surfers brave the waves all year-round. The ocean hues of the furniture, the glass balconies and the most beautiful views this side of the bay all come together to create a world-class bar-going experience. Owner Maurice Terzini puts a big emphasis on getting things right the first time round. The linen waiters' jackets are deliberately crinkled. The drinks never take more than a few minutes to make. The lighting is always perfect. You can see why this is the go-to venue for cashed-up visitors and people who love a long lunch. Icebergs is just as glamorous as it has always been – no sun-damage here.

Island Bar

Sydney Harbour

The Island Bar, set on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, is about the hottest (and coolest) place to spend a summer afternoon in Sydney. Kick off your sandals and recline on a deck chair, then set yourself up with a Tommy's Margarita and one of bartender Marco Faraone’s legendary Negronis. While getting all the way out here on a ferry from Circular Quay is part of the fun, it's also part of the downfall. The bar has to shut at 8.30pm, so when you're just getting into it, you have to sail away. The solution? The bar's open from 12.30pm from Tuesday to Sunday – head over early then kick on elsewhere. Closed 25 - 26 Dec

The Local Taphouse

Darlinghurst

There’s no better place to try a bunch of weird beer than the Local Taphouse. Downstairs, the room is decorated with industrial lamps, big comfy lounges, armchairs and, taking pride of place, the big bar. Can’t decide what to drink? Get a paddle and try five different beers for just $15. They organise the beers from least to most challenging, so you might start with a sweet, creamy Saison-style then hit a wild ale. There are plenty of tasting notes to read through too, or you could just sit back and not think too hard about it.

The Midnight Special

Newtown

Don’t attempt this bar on a weekend, unless lining up on the right arm of a major thoroughfare sounds like a blast to you. But go midweek, and pretty much enjoy the place to yourself and some die-hard regulars. The little bar with its black walls and checkerboard tiling is decked-out in Chinese lanterns and a few candlelit tables. There’s a short list of cocktails (Margaritas, Whiskey Sours, Collinses) but our money’s the Cooper’s on tap or Carlton by the tinny and a shot of Jack. Oh, and there’s Trumer Pils if you’re feeling a little continental. Closed 24 - 26 Dec & 31 Dec - 2 Jan

Mojo Record Bar

Sydney

Bar manager Natalie Ng (infamous Smarties-thrower and shot-giver) and team recently opened the doors on this excellent little den of iniquity just across the hall from Mojo Music. Great tunes, cracking cocktails and amazing service are name of the game here. There’s a big craft-beer menu too, including the Two Metre Tall Hop Ale from Tasmania. Or perhaps a two-litre Growler is more your speed. It’s $40 well spent – especially if you’re into supporting super-local small businesses like Young Henrys, brewed right in Newtown. There's no food, but they'll order you a pizza or open up a bag of Toobs if you're good. Closed 25 Dec - 3 Jan

Palmer and Co

Sydney

Unlike other moustache-whiskey bars around town where you have to be out by 1am at the latest, Palmer and Co sport a 5am license. So while it’s totally respectable to head earlier in the evening to catch Sarah and the Reckless Gentlemen play live near one of the three separate liquor dispensaries and have a bite to eat, this bar really hits its straps late. Take a seat at the bar in the far right corner or maybe one of the low-slung tables dotted through the middle of the room. Depending on where you’ve placed yourself, you’ll either be served by one of the dapper bartenders, decked out in full ’20s regalia, or a cocktail waitress dressed in flapper gear. It’s all about old-fashioned glamour at Palmer and Co. Frock up, suit up, go late and don’t go home.

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Sydney

You know you’re onto a good thing when you hit a bar that’s making its own beef jerky. Riedel glasses – 2,682 of them! – hang over the bar in a large metal bracket. It’s very hard to not clamber up and start playing them with a couple of spoons. Behind the bar you’ll find gun bartenders like Neilsen Braid and Ryan Gavin making – and we’re quoting from the menu here – cocktails for that ‘just-released-out-of-jail feeling’. And no, that’s not a Martini strained through a pair of Lindsay Lohan’s underpants, it’s drinks like the Black Tot: dark rum thrown with stout, blackberry shrub, barrel-aged bitters and an orange twist. Closed 24-26 Dec; open for lunch only 1 Jan

Shady Pines Saloon

Darlinghurst

Shady Pines is the bar that’s changed a city of drinkers and has inspired more Americana tatt bars than we can count. Amongst the taxidermied gambolling woodland creatures gracing every square inch of the bar and the wood-panelled wall of mounted trout heads, there are candlelit tables to slouch at and a long, heavy bar to prop up at. The peanuts are still free-flowing and, though the bartending team have switched quite a lot in the past year, the guys have gone to some great places of their own including Baxter Inn and Tio’s. Closed 25, 26 & 31 Dec

Tio's

Surry Hills

Tio’s is a dark cave filled with tequila and beer. It’s easy enough to lose yourself in the dark bar with a bag of spicy popcorn (gratis!) and a fistful of drinks. While you could make yourself very happy with any number of tequilas and more beers than is probably sensible, it’s the cocktails that should really be grabbing your attention. You can be guaranteed an excellent Margarita, and if you haven’t had a Negroni and Coke this is the place. All you’ve gotta do is look for the big neon sign hanging over the door.

The Victoria Room

Darlinghurst

Want the antidote to every bad cocktail bar experience you’ve had? Visit the Victoria Room. They’re nice here. They will greet you. And give you water with a squeeze of lemon in it. They will ask you where you’ve been, what you’ve been drinking and what you feel like. And here’s where they’ll make you something goddamn delicious. The list is broken into sections such as the Parlour (a mostly gin-heavy list with the odd vodka and applejack thrown in), taking in the bitter, herbacious and refreshing. The Garden Party moves more towards tropical, party drinks like Zombies and their Piña Colada (“served in a coconut!”). Closed 24 - 25 Dec & 1 Jan

The Wine Library

Woollahra

Where do you begin with a wine bar this ace? Let's start with the service. Buzo's restaurant manager Traci Trinder is here, keeping things running smoothly on the floor. And it's a busy floor. People are crammed in any which way they can fit, lining the walls, propping up the zinc bar and filling the back room. In fact, short of sitting on the toilet with your glass of chardonnay, there's very little wriggle room in the 48-seat bar. But that's okay. Did we mention they keep bees? Bees!