Words by Richard cornish Images supplied
Award-winning chef Michael Ryan and his wife and sommelier Jeanette Henderson are opening an exclusive bar above their Beechworth restaurant Provenance.
It will focus on different styles of the Italian digestivo amaro. “We have been working on this concept for some time,” says Michael. “Jeanette wanted a project involving our love of amaro,” he says. Michael started selling his own amaro during the Covid lockdown, blending different aromatic botanicals and steeping them in alcohol. The reception was red hot and Beechworth Bitters was born. The very adult and very aromatic Beechworth Bitters were embraced by the top bartenders in the country and are now poured in bars across the nation.
Amaro Bar will also be a tasting room for Beechworth Bitters but will also serve local wines and a range of cocktails. The intimate bar will be set in the beautiful and warm space above the Provenance dining room and will only seat around a dozen people on lounges. Michael is working on a small tapas-style menu of salty snacks such as olives and anchovies. “Bitters love salty food,” says Michael. He has managed to source a mid-century Italian bar that balances a fine line between kitsch and chic. He claims to have found it an abandoned farmhouse in the region.
Although Michael and Jeanette will be serving Italian bitters and a Spanish-influenced menu Amaro Bar embraces the spirit of the small, eccentric Japanese bars that the pair have become so fond of on their recent trips to Japan. “There’s a bar in the back streets of Tokyo that has a sign on the front door that reads, “If I’m open, I’m open. If I’m closed I am not here”, says Michael with a laugh. “I want Amaro Bar to be like that.”
Amaro Bar will open after Easter. In the meantime, Michael is enjoying the bounty of the late Autumn season in his kaiseki style Japanese influenced menu at his awarding winning Provenance restaurant.
THE DETAILS
What: Small, quirky bar serving amaro, wine and cocktails
Who: Chef Michael Ryan and wife and sommelier Jeanette Henderson
Where: 86 Ford St, Beechworth (above Provenance dining room in 1860s bank in Beechworth)
When: After Easter
Why: A beautiful room with personalised cocktail service from one of Australia’s best chefs
More info: The Provenance
We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
