By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
At Toki Bistro & Bar in North Sydney, dining has always been an elevated experience. A recent collaboration with one of the world’s most acclaimed cocktail bars has uplifted it to a whole new sensory level.
Maybe Sammy, the award-winning bar in The Rocks, celebrated for its playful yet precise mixology, has teamed up with Toki to create two exclusive Asian-inspired cocktails: the Sencha Cooler and the Sakura Martini. The collaboration blends culinary artistry with liquid innovation, offering Sydney diners a truly unique tasting experience.
Since opening mid-2025, Toki has showcased itself as a standout on Sydney’s dining map, effortlessly marrying French technique with Asian flavours in a space that balances elegance and comfort.
The menu celebrates Modern Asian-fusion cuisine, with dishes crafted to highlight seasonal ingredients and showcase regional produce. Every plate tells a story, with texture, taste and presentation working in harmony to create an unforgettable shared experience.
Maybe Sammy, meanwhile, is renowned for its theatrical yet refined approach to cocktails. Its pink-jacketed bartenders and inventive drinks menu have earned it a place on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for several years, drawing guests from across the globe.
Balancing creativity with meticulous technique, Maybe Sammy has redefined Sydney mixology by combining classic influences with contemporary flair.
The collaboration with Toki brings the best of both worlds together. The Sencha Cooler features apple and mango sake, Nagaragawa Junmai sake, sencha and jasmine tea syrup and a touch of verjus, offering a light, layered drink that captures delicate floral and fruity notes with a subtly tart finish.
The Sakura Martini takes inspiration from the cherry blossom, blending gin, rose petal syrup, Cocchi Americano and verjus to create a floral-forward cocktail that is both elegant and balanced. Both drinks mirror the artistry of Toki’s cuisine, providing a layered tasting experience that complements the restaurant’s Asian-fusion dishes while standing out on their own.
This partnership exemplifies the growing trend of cross-venue creativity in Sydney’s hospitality scene. Rather than simply adding new drinks to an existing menu, the collaboration allows Toki and Maybe Sammy to explore flavour combinations unique to the two venues, creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
The limited-edition cocktails are designed to enhance the meal, encouraging diners to savour them alongside small plates, mains and desserts, transforming an evening at Toki into a full sensory journey.
Dining at Toki is always an occasion, but the addition of these two exclusive cocktails elevates it into a celebration of craft across disciplines. The restaurant’s chandelier-lit interiors and carefully curated menu meet the theatricality and precision of world-class mixology. Guests are invited to discover new favourite drinks, thoughtfully matched to the meal, while appreciating the skill and imagination behind both the food and the cocktails.
For anyone looking to experience Sydney’s dining scene at its most inventive, this collaboration is a must. It demonstrates how venues with different specialisations - one focused on contemporary cuisine, the other on award-winning cocktails - can work together to elevate an entire dining experience.
From the elegant design of the space to the nuanced flavour profiles of the Sencha Cooler and Sakura Martini, the partnership between Toki and Maybe Sammy delivers something playful yet sophisticated, approachable yet exceptional.
