Half the charm of a bar is the silent promise that there’s a good night to come. And, how I see it, that has a lot to do with a well-loved, lived-in air. When you can tell people have already had ace nights, hanging at the counter or around the table you’ve just snatched. Achieving that energy in a just-opened boozer is no easy feat. But by god, the Mucho team has done it with Herbs Taverne, the Clarence Street basement joint for Negronis and everything bitter.
If you pay attention, you’ll notice the hospo group’s trademark quirks. Look to its other venues: Cantina OK, Bar Planet, Centro 86, Tio’s Cerveceria. Four distinct bars that contribute significant heft to Sydney’s drinking scene. And Herbs hits the very same notes: considered, arty, laid-back (if you’d like it to be), with a lot of va-va-voom for a divey small bar.
Descend the stairs, past 1950s New York-style metal blinds, and you’re in a red-lit drinking cave – disco ball spinning, black-and-red chequerboards on the ceiling and underfoot, a big wood-and-metal bar, trippy painted mirrors by local artist Lance Corlett (of Steady Hand Studio) on every wall, and a skinny little counter wrapping around the entire venue, just above hip height – so no matter where you find yourself, there’s somewhere to rest your drink.
Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.
SIGN UP“Our short and concise menu with a hero cocktail, I’ve been really passionate about that for years,” Mucho co-owner and general manager Daisy Tulley tells Broadsheet. “Like, yes we’re a cocktail bar, yes we’re particularly enthusiastic about these amari, but leading with something that people really know. The Negroni is the vehicle for that. Everyone’s tried one – they know that’s a safe option and they can start there.”
Co-owner and creative director Jeremy Blackmore’s developed a “Negroni traffic light” concept: red, orange, green. You know what you’re going to get with the classic red-hued serve – equal parts gin, Campari and vermouth. The signature Herbs Negroni is vamped up with a blend of two red vermouths. The Gold Negroni leans more tropical, and the super-herbaceous Green Negroni is sent to space with a house-made parsley amaro.
“There’s so many interesting, different digestifs and amari. And you don’t have to be an expert, you can just be the enthusiast,” says Tulley. “We want to be enthusiasts about it, to teach people and go on a journey with them – with a whole new vehicle of spirits.”
The 12-part cocktail list, on a Mucho-coded tear-off pad, includes the Negronis, three aperitifs, three house-made digestifs – ready to pour straight from the freezer – and three seasonal “classic-Mucho” cocktails. Broadsheet’s pick is the Americana, Blackmore’s tall, icy play on an Americano, zested up with lemon ice, and the Fiji, a floral house-made digestif served from the freezer. It’s all bolstered by on-the-house bags of popcorn (which is the cheesiest it’s ever been).
“It’s amazing that even through all of that time [since opening Tio’s in 2011), you can still feel it’s us,” says Tulley. “This venue’s very much going to still feel like Mucho – with the obvious things like the popcorn, the [staff] uniform [of Dickies work pants, coloured socks and Doc Martins], the drinks menu on the pads you rip off. We keep joking that we’re becoming the popcorn and pad company!”
Herbs Taverne
213 Clarence Street, Sydney
Hours:
Daily 4pm–2am
Cafes
Restaurants
Bars
Accommodation
Shop
Broadsheet Pick
Recently Opened