Maybe Group to take over Four Pillars Lab
Australian bar company the Maybe Group will move its Mexican-inspired venue El Primo Sanchez into Four Pillars’ laboratory in Surry Hills, Sydney.
Gin brand Four Pillars opened The Lab in June 2020. The site featured a small-scale gin still for experimental expressions and Eileen’s Bar, the brand’s own cocktail bar.
The site will close on 19 September.
James Brindley, managing director of Lion Australia, which owns Four Pillars, said: “We want to sincerely thank Gabriel [Hepworth, venue manager] and the entire Lab team for their dedication, energy, and contribution over the years. This is a significant and emotional moment, particularly for the team at The Lab, and we’re committed to working closely with them through this transition.
“I can’t think of a better partner to take over the lease of The Lab and continue the good times, great drinks and excellent hospitality had there than the Maybe Group. We look forward to seeing how they bring their new space to life.”
The El Primo Sanchez site in Paddington will close on 20 September after two and a half years in operation. It will reopen in the former Lab space in mid-October.
The El Primo Sanchez team will turn the upstairs Eileen’s Bar into an ‘elevated’ dining space, described as ‘less sit-down dinner, more premium cocktail bar with Latin-American street food on the side’.
The kitchen will be smaller than at its original location, with head chef Diego Sotelo to offer a ‘compact, flavour-packed’ snack menu.
As in the previous venue, the new El Primo Sanchez will have a karaoke room.
The former gin still space will become the Maybe Sammy Cocktails Studio, the group’s first retail space for its bottled cocktail range.
The studio will also function as a tasting room and workshop space, where the Maybe Sammy team will host cocktail-making sessions.
In the bar, general manager Eduardo Conde will debut a new cocktail menu of ‘simplified, standout’ drinks. Examples include Coconut Margaritas and agave Highballs, as well as established favourites like the Tropicana and Horchata Colada.
It will also offer a Tequila Passport, which allows guests to track their way through 100 Tequilas with milestone prizes, as well as a roving agave trolley for tableside pours.
“This is a big step up for us,” said Vince Lombardo, co-owner of Maybe Group. “Surry Hills gives El Primo Sanchez the foot traffic and community buzz it deserves, and the new space lets us really dial up the cocktail experience. At the same time, launching the Maybe Sammy Cocktails Studio downstairs gives us the chance to connect with guests in a more meaningful, face-to-face way. It feels like a natural evolution.”
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