First Look: Maybe Sammy and Matt Whiley Just Made the CBD a Little Cooler – but for How Long?
This pop-up rock’n’roll dive bar, by some of the best bartenders in the country, is all about loud music, good times and ’90s cocktails. We miss it already.
by Callum McDermott · BroadsheetMaybe Sammy’s Stefano Catino and Re–’s Matt Whiley had admired each other’s acclaimed bars for a long time. When they eventually found themselves working under the Public Hospitality umbrella, they were excited to collaborate, at last.
“Then, all the shit hit the fan,” Catino says. “But we still really wanted to do something.”
The pair started looking for somewhere suitable to try out a few ideas they had percolating. Soon enough, they found the ideal spot in the CBD: the cosy basement site once home to Grandma’s, one of Sydney’s original small bars. Great location, cheap rent. The only catch? The building would be torn down in a couple of years.
We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.
“We could be there for a year and a half, we could be there two and a half,” says Catino. “And when you have that time limit, you know you can’t make your furniture and everything super expensive – so we thought the best thing was to do a little dive bar.”
That little dive bar is Little Cooler. Inspired by legendary American dives like the Viper Room in LA and CBGB in New York City, this 60-capacity bar’s number-one priority is to be a fun hang.
“It’s a place to go with friends,” Catino says. “There won’t be table service or anything – just go up to the bar and order – and even though there’s going to be lots of music, this isn’t going to be one of those listening bars, the bar is going to be rowdy, we don’t want vinyls getting smashed in the corner.
Whiley’s a big fan of hip-hop; Catino’s more of a rock’n’roll guy. So what’s coming out of the speakers will be largely dependent on whoever’s controlling the aux cord. The one thing they both agree on? Music peaked in the ’80s and ’90s.
The cocktail list also takes its cues from those eras. But make no mistake, this is no wedding band doing serviceable covers of bygone hits. Matt Whiley and Maybe Sammy opening a bar together – even if it’s just a pop-up – is the bar-world version of Bowie and Queen casually smashing out Under Pressure.
“I will never cut corners, even if it’s just a two-year experiment,” says Catino. “I just will not do it – so we need to make sure it’s fun, it’s cool, and the drinks are great.”
Anejo highballs, Cosmopolitans, Caipirinhas, Screaming Orgasms, Breakfast Martinis – the ’90s drink names may be familiar, but rest assured, they’ll look (and taste) much better than you remember them. Some of them will be elevated takes, others will be abstracted almost beyond recognition. Cocktails will be joined by a tight roster of beers and wines. There’s no food here, but you can bring in takeaway or order in.
Josh Clapp of design firm Steel and Stitch (who’s behind the striking fit-outs at Armorica and Paski) has splashed the walls with images of the Rolling Stones, Run DMC and Michael Hutchence. Clapp also took care of woodworking and the rest of the build. The entire room is bathed in red neon light.
Nothing in hospo is forever, but you still can’t help but feel upset that the clock is already ticking on Little Cooler. Catino feels the same way.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen when we open the doors, but I feel like Little Cooler has the legs to be moved,” he says. “So we have to push, and make sure we deliver something that people are going to miss.”
Little Cooler
275 Clarence Street, Sydney
Hours
Wed to Sat: 5pm–2am