Set foot in one of Sydney's many top-flight bars these days, and it's impossible not to feel a surge of energy and excitement in the air.

Despite the infinite setbacks that came with the pandemic – or perhaps because of them – the levels of ambition and inspiration are at all-time highs.

New openings in glitzy hotels, old cafes and even the inside of a heritage clocktower have brought much-needed buzz back to the streets.

Yet, even up against all of this fresh competition, old standbys continue to shine.

In short, there's never been a better time to bend an elbow in the Emerald City, and these are the best spots to do so right now.

Ante

SAKE BAR

Sake importer extraordinaire Matt Young and chef Jemma Whiteman's love letter to the listening bars of Japan is a meditative escape from the outside world. Plant yourself in one of the 35 seats, and be spirited away by every element, from the 2500-strong vinyl collection and crispness of the rigorously tuned sound system to the exquisite ceramics and bespoke glassware. It's an education in the ins and outs of junmai (or "pure rice") sake, and the fine art of food and drink pairing.

146 King Street, Newtown, ante.bar

The Bar

COCKTAIL BAR

Europe's grand hotel bars have been reimagined in high-flying style by visionary restaurateur Maurice Terzini at the storied InterContinental Double Bay. Slip past the red velvet curtains, and you're thrust into a ritzy parallel universe of plush carpeting and white-jacketed bartenders, complete with a crooning jazz pianist and beef tartare prepped tableside. If there's ever been a place for champagne and oysters followed by Bloody Marys and a towering club sandwich, this is it. Forfeit your wallet and let it rip.

InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, 33 Cross Street, Double Bay, 02 8388 8388, doublebay.intercontinental.com/dining/the-bar

Bar Planet

COCKTAIL BAR

The martini is back and better than ever at this offbeat Enmore Road newcomer, helmed by some of the city's sharpest young talent. They'll mix one however you like it, but the house speciality – made using a customised spirit from nearby Poor Toms and poured from a narrow-spouted Spanish carafe – is the way to go. It's a little bit of theatre and a whole lot of fun. Bonus points for the dazzling kaleidoscopic bar top by local artist David Humphries.

16 Enmore Road, Newtown, barplanet.com.au

The Baxter Inn

COCKTAIL BAR

If you think that Baxter has lost any of its lustre after countless accolades and more than a decade in the game, then think again. Sneak off along the alleyway, tumble down the stairs, and you'll find that Swillhouse's world-class whisky hideaway cranks like it's still opening night. Start with an Old Fashioned, get stuck into the pretzels and lose yourself in the staggering stockpile of barley-bree that now stretches to 900 labels.

152-156 Clarence Street, Sydney, thebaxterinn.com

The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre

BREWERY BAR

Part craft brewery, part Chinese-Australian bistro and part time capsule, The BLC is very much in a league of its own. It turns out the chance to sink lagers in a memorabilia-drenched pool room modelled after the one Hawkie had in his own Northbridge home is just what the inner-west taproom landscape has been missing. Dogs are welcome, as is the whole family, and a portion of profits goes to Landcare Australia – exactly how the man himself would've wanted it.

8-12 Sydney Street, Marrickville, 02 9069 5583, hawkesbrewing.com/beerandleisure

Cantina OK!

COCKTAIL BAR

It is home to hands down the best margarita around, but Alex Dowd and Jeremy Blackmore's internationally acclaimed "micro mezcal mecca" is really so much more. What's offered at this standing-room-only former single-car garage is a crash course in the realm of agave-based spirits from all around Mexico, led by a small crew whose knowledge and passion run deep. Few, if any, bars in recent memory have shifted the needle quite the same way.

Council Place, Sydney, okokok.com.au

Clocktower Bar

COCKTAIL BAR

Anyone looking to live out their James Bond fantasy should take the lift to the ninth floor of Shell House and settle into this handsome semi-hidden lounge beneath the void of the 400-tonne art deco-era clocktower. Step through the sliding door and the sense of occasion is instantly heightened by the glow of polished timber, mirrored tabletops and metres of leather and marble. The expertly assembled cocktails are as timeless as the room, and the people-watching is second to none.

Shell House, 37 Margaret Street (entry via Wynyard Lane), Sydney, 02 9158 4000, shellhouse.com.au/clocktower-bar

Double Deuce Lounge

COCKTAIL BAR

Think of the unassuming flight of stairs off Hunter Street less as a pathway to a bar than a portal to another era. Down in the low-lit confines of the Double D, it's all about the '70s – greasy quiffs, wide lapels, wood panelling and all, fittingly groovy soundtrack included. Drinks are just as tongue-in-cheek – a boozy Stinger laced with Fernet-Branca, say, or a White Russian with a whipped cream float. Be sure to stroke the furry wall on your way out.

6 Bridge Street, Sydney, doubledeucelounge.com

Earl's Juke Joint

COCKTAIL BAR

For the folks who might have missed the memo: what's hiding behind the Betta Meats shopfront on the south end of King Street is no butchery. Instead, it's one of the finest places to procure a drink in all of Sydney, and rattles with the boisterous energy of an alehouse in New Orleans. Sazeracs are served at a perfect chill, the team is unfailingly friendly and the discerning line in craft beers and low-intervention wines means that all tastes are properly catered for.

407 King Street, Newtown, earlsjukejoint.delivery

Jangling Jack's

COCKTAIL BAR

Every neighbourhood deserves a reliable local like Jangling Jack's. Somewhere you can blow in seven days of the week, that knows how to shake up a spot-on Last Word, stir down a solid Manhattan, flip a mean burger and keep bums on seats. Live jazz on Sunday evenings is well worth crossing town for, but there's no question the lights will be just right and the playlist on point whenever you choose to pop by. Long may it jangle.

175 Victoria Street, Potts Point, 0417 020 071

Maybe Sammy

COCKTAIL BAR

Maybe Sammy's meteoric rise to global superstardom has been nothing short of monumental. Not even a year into its life, it was named Best Bar in Australasia by The World's 50 Best Bars and the awards have kept piling up ever since. It makes sense – the allure of charismatic hospitality, inventive drinks, theatrical bartending, and the bygone glamour of the '50s is practically universal. Habit-forming miniature cocktails, a martini trolley and a cracking happy hour definitely don't hurt, either.

115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, 02 9241 4970, maybesammy.com

Old Mate's Place

COCKTAIL BAR

Still haven't sought out the unmarked entrance, scaled the 102 steps and pulled up a pew at Old Mate's? Get climbing. No matter whether you head straight for the rooftop or prefer the abandoned library vibe down below, good innings are guaranteed. The revivers here are stiff, always mixed with precision and a helping of high-quality banter. Factor in the Philly cheesesteaks and 2am close time, and you've got the perfect recipe for a session to remember.

Level 4, 199 Clarence Street, Sydney, oldmates.sydney

Paski Vineria Popolare

WINE BAR

Fulfilling all of your earthly desires – or at least those pertaining to vino, salumi and cheese – is almost too easy on ground level at this two-storey temple of Italian-accented pleasures. On the wine front, co-owners and importers Giorgio De Maria and Mattia Dicati have pulled together a peerless line-up of wild and wonderful bottles from the boot and beyond. And with former 10 William St head honcho Enrico Tomelleri on the pans, skipping snacks is out of the question.

239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, paski.com.au

Piccolo Bar

COCKTAIL BAR

What's not to like about a landmark Kings Cross coffee shop reborn as a minuscule cocktail parlour specialising in Italian mainstays and no-nonsense classics? Bookings aren't taken and there's only a mere handful of tables and stools, but consider it all the more reason to arrive early and get comfortable. That way, you'll be able to spend the rest of the evening working your way through Garibaldis, Americanos and an entire page of negroni variations.

6 Roslyn Street, Potts Point, piccolobarkingscross.com.au

PS40

COCKTAIL BAR

Nowhere else dares to put banana bread and tonka bean in a negroni or fuel an Old Fashioned with sous-vide Basque cheesecake. These are not gimmicks – owner Michael Chiem's unrivalled knack for ingenious flavour combinations and high-wire technique makes each and every cocktail at his revered CBD hangout an adventure in itself. There's no better proof than the sensory-tickling signature Africola – a tumbler of ice-cold coffee liqueur and spicy wattle cola capped with warm coconut foam.

Shop 2, 40 King Street (entry via Skittle Lane), Sydney, ps40bar.com

Re

COCKTAIL BAR

Re's dedication to sustainability and combating waste is second to none. Every object you touch in this former locomotive workshop is recycled, from the pineapple-leaf fibre banquette cushions to the faux terrazzo bar top fashioned from plastic bottles. Surplus produce makes up the bulk of the snack menu, while the likes of leftover fish fat from Josh Niland's Fish Butchery and spent grains and coffee grounds from nearby brewers and roasters find their way into the forward-thinking cocktails. It's revelatory and revolutionary stuff.

Shop 82, Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, 02 8377 1877, wearere.com.au

The Rover

COCKTAIL BAR

A slight name change and a snazzy refurb have done wonders for this Surry Hills stayer. The keen focus on whisk(e)y and all-encompassing sense of warmth remain, but the elegant space now sparkles with clubby, old-school New York swagger. Seasonal, produce-driven cocktails (care of Bulletin Place alum Alex Gondzioulis) are a cut above, and an elevated kitchen offering now finds hot-smoked sardines and a leek tarte tatin alongside that celebrated lamb sausage roll.

75 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, liquidandlarder.com.au/the-rover

Shady Pines Saloon

COCKTAIL BAR

Fads and lockout laws may come and go, but the joys of nursing a whisky and fresh apple juice over bottomless bowlfuls of peanuts, it seems, are eternal. How else to explain the undying appeal of this rollicking honky-tonk, which changed the game from the second it switched on the lights back in 2010? Even after all these years, the original vision endures, and the novelty hasn't worn thin. A veteran still at the summit of its powers.

Shop 4, 256 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, swillhouse.com/venues/shady-pines-saloon

Tachinomi YP

NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR

Those who've wandered the streets of a Japanese metropolis with a hard-earned thirst will likely be familiar with tachinomi – a breed of comically tiny standing bars hawking simple quenchers like Highballs, fruit liqueurs, chu-hi tinnies and torrents of tap beer. This one's the real thing from top to bottom, with nearly every inch of the wall buried beneath posters, handwritten signage and bric-a-brac of all sorts. Grab a game off the shelf, and lean into the chaos.

Shop 1, 20 Burlington Street, Crows Nest, facebook.com/tachinomiyp

Where's Nick

WINE BAR

Dismissing natural wine as both niche and elitist can be tempting. Yet the approach that owners Julian and Dominic Abouzeid and Bridget Raffal take at Where's Nick is anything but hoity-toity. The atmosphere is just as lo-fi as what's in your glass, and savvy staff will happily steer you towards whatever your heart desires – whether structured, clean and classic or cloudy, cultish and totally obscure. Hard-to-source beers and ciders, artisan sake and small-batch spirits round out the winning selection.

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, 0481 759 182, wheresnick.com.au