‘When you make something that tastes good, it make you feel so satisfied,’ says Emre Bilgin

Maybe Sammy in Sydney is one of those bars — and there’s not many like them — that when the bartenders go to work, whether it’s mid-week or the weekend, they know they’re going to be busy. There are no slow nights at this award-winning bar.

Emre Bilgin has been behind the stick at Maybe Sammy for just on a year now, and it’s a career highlight for him, he says. They’re known for the experience they offer guests — the bar can be a lot of fun — but there’s also plenty on offer for those who like well made and thoughtful cocktails.

Like this drink, the Maestro’s Pearl, from Emre. It’s the drink which saw him land among the top 25 bartenders from around Australia as part of the Espolòn Afterlife To The Bone cocktail competition.

Below, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Emre tells us more about Maybe Sammy, talks about his drink, explores the reasons why he does what he does.

Tell us about Maybe Sammy. What is this place about? Maybe Sammy is a cocktail bar, one of the best cocktail bar in the world and started in 2019. It was nominated the best bar in Australia five years in a row and the concept of Maybe Sammy is 1950s, 60s of Las Vegas casino times — the Rat Pack, the era of that fun and the craziness, but at the same time the professionalism, which is connecting what we do here.

We are trying to do fun and entertainment, but at the same time not losing our professionalism and showing the best that we can do.

What’s the name of your drink, and what’s the big idea behind it?

So the name of the drink is Maestro’s Pearl and the idea is going back a classic cocktail called La Perla, which is a cocktail founded in 2006 in the United States and the classic recipe is mostly reposada tequila with some manzanilla sherry and a pear liqueur. I like this balance between the sherry and the tequila — it’s really velvety, really smooth, but at the same time you’re feeling that punchy feeling of tequila and I just wanted to twist that cocktail create a cocktail that shows how pearls are actually connecting with our lives. That was the idea.

My drink has Espolòn Reposado and also it has anise myrtle, rose manzanilla sherry, which I use fresh rose to give extra fresh flowery flavors.

And to give respect to the pearls, I distilled an oyster. So the oyster shells are giving that umami and the sea feeling to the cocktail.

How long have you been bartending for, and how long have you been at Maybe Sammy?

I’ve been bartending for nine years, it’s gonna be one year at Maybe Sammy in two weeks.

Why is it you like bartending? Why do you do what you?

So there are a lot of answers for this question, but I like the contact with people.

All bartenders know that it’s not only mixing the drinks, but when you close your eyes and when you think about the flavours, when you taste the flavours that you imagine, and when you create something that actually tastes good, it just makes you feel like you’re so satisfied. And you find yourself thinking, okay, that was nice. Maybe I can do that one more time.

Maestro's Pearl recipe

For the Rose Manzanilla:
10 fresh rose leaves infused to 250ml of manzanilla sherry in room temperature for 6 hours. After 6 hours strain and bottle. 

For the oyster distillate:
115gr smashed oyster shells mix with 250ml of vodka. Cook in sous vide for 2 hours in 60 degrees. Fine strain after and distillate via rotavap.  Bath temp 50 degrees.  Pressure: 170mbar to 70mbar. Rotation speed: 3.5.

For the Isomalt Container:
Cook isomalt powder until it melts. Shape it with water filled plastic gloves. Give it cool and shape it. 

In a shaker, add all the ingredients and throw. Pour into glass gently.