“Fresh off taking out Tequila Bar of the Year at the 2026 Australian Bar Awards, Sydney’s Cantina OK! has launched a new cocktail menu built around the idea that a drink can change a mood, trigger a memory or mark a moment. Called Potion, the new menu is available now at the Council Place tequila and mezcal bar, with three new cocktails joining Cantina OK!’s house classics.”

“Plus, a Scottish feast with Lennox Hastie, more Butterboy cookies for Sydney, Bloody Marys garnished with spice bags, and all the venues we’ve visited recently.”

“Sydney CBD Margarita and mezcal bar Cantina OK! has launched Potion, a new cocktail menu exploring how drinks can influence mood, evoke memories and mark occasions. Built around the idea of cocktails as everyday alchemy, the menu spans drinks designed for moments of nostalgia and celebration through to an end-of-day pick-me-up – built around three distinct cocktails.”

“Sydney CBD Margarita and mezcal bar Cantina OK! has launched Potion, a new cocktail menu exploring how drinks can influence mood, evoke memories and mark occasions. Built around the idea of cocktails as everyday alchemy, the menu spans drinks designed for moments of nostalgia and celebration through to an end-of-day pick-me-up – built around three distinct cocktails.”

“As October rolls around, Sydney starts to bring out some of its best events, spanning art, music, theatre and sport. One thing about October in Sydney? The music program is stacked. Female powerhouses fill the program, including Zara Larsson, Lily Allen and Olivia Dean. We’ll also see the home turf concerts from a couple of Aussie stars, in the form of boyband 5 Seconds of Summer and the iconic Tame Impala.”

“Last night, the Australian bar industry came together at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf for the 2026 Australian Bar Awards, bringing some of the country’s best bartenders, operators, bar teams and industry leaders under one roof. Marking the grand finale of Sydney Bar Week, more than 30 awards were handed out across the night, celebrating the people and venues setting the standard for Australian hospitality right now.”

“The votes have been cast, counted and sorted and so now we can reveal the finalists in the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Once again a huge thanks goes to all those who voted for the favourite people, places and products to give us the finalists for this year’s awards. The Australian hospitality industry’s night of nights takes place at The Fullerton Sydney on Wednesday, 28 October.”

“The finalists for the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards have now been revealed, as we countdown towards the industry’s night of nights. Below are all the product awards and finalists, and you can see the finalists in the Retail Awards here and the On-Premise Awards here.”

“Plus, a gyros and beer party at Grifter, a tequila festival in the city, a Darlinghurst block party with Tipo 00 and the best Scandi cardamom buns in Sydney.”

“Over the past two weeks, Top 500 Bars officially kicked off its annual countdown, unveiling the first part of its global ranking, which includes establishments ranked 300th to 200th. The 2026 edition sets a new record for global diversity, with 139 cities in 56 countries, up from 126 last year. The expansion reflects the incredible vitality of local scenes around the world. Following the growth of regional Cocktail Weeks and Bar Shows, new bars and innovative cocktail philosophies are emerging, continually pushing the boundaries of mixology.”

“The Australian drinks industry has a busy spring ahead, with a packed calendar of trade tastings, educational sessions, awards, festivals and industry campaigns. From major free trade tastings to scholarships and competition entry deadlines, here are some of the key upcoming opportunities in the Australian drinks calendar.”

“Spring is here, and Sydney is making the most of it. From colourful kites soaring over Bondi to world-class theatre and major art exhibitions, there’s plenty to get out and enjoy this weekend. Culture vultures have plenty to get excited about this weekend, with the Sydney Fringe Festival bringing its wonderfully eclectic mix of comedy, music and visual arts to venues across the city. In theatre headlines, My Fair Lady opens at the Sydney Opera House this week, celebrating 70 years since its Broadway debut. CURRENT by Sydney Dance Company also continues its run, whereas Velvet Inferno comes to a close on Sunday.”

“The finalists in the pub categories of the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA) are now revealed following a record number of votes being cast for this year’s awards. The process for naming the ALIA winners comes in two stages. Firstly, we ask the industry to vote for their favourite people, places and products across all the award categories – this gives us the finalists that are listed below. For the second phase of the process we send these finalists to our judging panel who will choose their top three in each category to give us our winners – subject to those votes being audited by Quantaco.”

“The votes have been cast, counted and sorted and so now we can reveal the finalists in the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Once again a huge thanks goes to all those who voted for the favourite people, places and products to give us the finalists for this year’s awards. The Australian hospitality industry’s night of nights takes place at The Fullerton Sydney on Wednesday, 28 October.”

“Taste your way through the MUCHO Tequila and Mezcal Festival. MUCHO Tequila & Mezcal Festival returns to Centro 86 on Sunday 13 September, bringing together more than 30 producers from across Mexico for an afternoon dedicated to tequila, mezcal and the wider world of agave. It’s put together by the team behind Centro 86’s tequila back bar and Cantina OK!’s mezcal program, with standout names on the lineup including Herradura, Cascahuín, Los Siete Misterios and La Venenosa.”

“The votes have been cast, counted and sorted and so now we can reveal the finalists in the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Once again a huge thanks goes to all those who voted for the favourite people, places and products to give us the finalists for this year’s awards. The Australian hospitality industry’s night of nights takes place at The Fullerton Sydney on Wednesday, 28 October.”

“One of Sydney’s most intimate bars, Cantina OK! proves good things come in small packages. Specialising in small-batch mezcal, it’s all about classic cocktails and margaritas. With space for only two bartenders, you might have to be patient, but the hand-shaven ice and hand-pressed limes make it well worth the wait.”

“From micro mezcal den Cantina OK! to new suburb gems like Meadow in Cronulla, these are the best bars in Sydney right now. Sydney’s best bars range from micro mezcal mecca Cantina OK! to subterranean CBD wine bar Letra House and prohibition cocktail haunt Palmer & Co. Add boundary-pushing newcomers like Super 44 in Enmore and Cronulla’s Meadow, and you have a scene worth working through. Curated by Sitchu’s editors, this ever-evolving edit points you where to sip, whether you’re after gin, jazz or both.”

“Today is World Tequila Day, and if you’ve only ever experienced tequila in a Margarita, Mucho Group is offering the perfect excuse to dig a little deeper. Across Super 44, Cantina OK!, Centro 86 and Tio’s, the group has assembled what it believes is Australia’s most diverse collection of agave spirits. And if all that talk of tequila leaves you inspired, we’ve also included a recipe created by Jeremy Blackmore Creative Director of Mucho Group at the end of this story.”

“With a name like Dine Out, you might be forgiven for thinking that Broadsheet’s winter festival is all about eating, but this year’s Sydney program has worked its way into plenty of the city’s hottest bars. We tapped 17 bars across the city to create a special one-off deal for the duration of the festival, from July 27 to August 2. Some venues offer substantial discounts, and others will serve meals that pair their venue’s most popular drinks with serious snacks. Here’s what’s happening around town.”