Herbs Taverne, the newest concept from Sydney’s award-winning MUCHO Group, has landed in the CBD, and it’s anything but conventional. Located on Clarence Street, this intimate negroni-focused bar draws from global amaro traditions while channeling the eclectic energy of modern Sydney. It’s the sixth venue from the team behind Cantina OK!, Bar Planet, Tio’s, and Centro 86—and arguably its most adventurous yet.
Daisy Tulley, MUCHO Group’s General Manager, calls it “a warm, cosy, artistic space with delicious, surprising cocktails and an inclusive and empathic team ready to make memories.” And yes, even the popcorn has gotten an upgrade.
Negronis, Aperitifs, and a Multicultural Sydney Pantry
The menu, crafted by Jeremy Blackmore, MUCHO’s Creative Director, is split into four parts: three negronis, three aperitifs, three digestifs, and three seasonal cocktails. These drinks pay homage to bitter traditions from Buenos Aires to Chicago, viewed through Sydney’s multicultural lens.
The Herbs Negroni stays classic with gin, Campari, and a custom blend of two vermouths. Gold Negroni adds tropical flair with Chinola and gentian, while the Green Negroni turns heads with a house-made parsley amaro.
Aperitif fans will enjoy the Fernando, MUCHO’s riff on Fernet and Coke made with their own orange coriander vodka, and the Americana, a granita-topped Americano that reads more refreshing than bitter. The monthly-changing Herbs Spritz opens with passionfruit, Sauvignon Blanc, and olive oil.
Digestifs are house-blended and served straight from the freezer. Handshake fuses Raspberry Eau de Vie and Averna for a raspberry-cola effect. Fiji brings floral sweetness with Amaro Montenegro and Umeshu. Mozart—equal parts Fernet Branca and white crème de cacao—is the chocolate-mint after-dinner moment you didn’t know you needed.
Seasonal, Surreal, and Sydney
The bar’s seasonal cocktail section veers into the surreal. Seagreen mixes sake, rocket, lime, and sugarcane for a vegetal refreshment. Meadow is a structured sour with calvados, bison grass vodka, and fennel. Blondtip brings together dessert wine, rockmelon, and amaro in a juicy, complex package.
Herbs also boasts a back bar of 45 amaros sourced globally—from a pineapple rum amaro out of Milwaukee to a botanical-forward aperitif from Kanagawa, Japan. The space itself leans maximalist: think 1900s theatre meets 1960s diner meets German shoe shop meets Flemish Renaissance paintings. Mirrors and indie-era New York soundtracks complete the sensory overload.
Tulley adds, “The drinks are unmistakably MUCHO, this time in the land of bitters. I don’t like to play favorites—but Herbs has a special place in my heart.”
Herbs Taverne is now open daily from 4pm to 2am. No reservations. Just step inside, take a sip, and let the bitters do the talking.
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