Harrison Kenney has risen from glassy to GM, and spoke to Bars & Clubs about the latest bar in the Mucho Group portfolio, Bar Planet, which features a tiny menu, free popcorn and ‘the mother stock of martinis’.
It’s been a big year for Harrison (who mostly goes by Kenney), with 2022 marking the opening of Enmore Road’s Bar Planet, and his personal victory in the Patron Perfectionists cocktail competition.
Kenney describes the latter experience as: “Tequila-fuelled fantasy!”
“It’s been a wild ride, it feels like a giant leap in my career, if you had told me a couple years ago I’d compete and win in Mexico I never would have believed you,” Kenney says.
Kenney says that he first was attracted to bartending after witnessing the power of hospitality while working as a glassy at the Beresford.
“The more I roamed around the venue in search for glass I saw all these guests enjoying themselves, I could see the bartenders were the masters of these ceremonies, curating experiences that brought guests so much joy,” Kenney comments.
It seems as if he himself experienced the power of such a ceremony while competing at the Patron Perfectionists.
“During the final presentation I had this transcendent moment, I found solace standing behind the bar, it was exactly where I needed to be in that moment in time.”
Kenney also highlighted the camaraderie between competitors as reflective of the hospitality industry as whole.
“It’s unequivocally impressive to see competitors cheer so loudly for each other, particularly during the presentations but also when being announced as the winner.”
“I won’t forget that moment,” Kenney adds.
Now GM of Bar Planet, following a three year stint at Mucho’s Cantina OK!, Kenney is very much the master of ceremonies in this candlelit, atmospheric venue.
At Bar Planet, Kenney has worked with Poor Toms to develop a specialist base for the venue’s martinis.
“We’re collaborating with local gin distillers Poor Toms, the base spirit is what Jeremy [Blackmore, Mucho Group Beverage Director] terms an infinite spirit; a spirit flavoured with seasonal, local produce with a story,” Kenney explains.
This spirit provides the backbone for the Bar Planet Martini, the flagship drink on the bar’s deliberately austere menu.
“The first iteration was made with heritage apples that were the passion project of the late ‘Borry’ Gattrell of Borrodell Winery fame.
“After the first litres are nearly done, Jeremy and I will work on a new flavoured spirit that will be added to the existing one – essentially making a living, constantly changing martini. It’s the mother stock of martinis.
“Currently it consists of Apple, Chamomile, Blood Lime and Coriander Seed.”
Service of the Bar Planet Martini is also impressive and idiosyncratic.
“We pour it from a porron (a Spanish carafe) and zest the stream from such great heights, ice cold,” Kenney explains.
The full experience is one that is “ephemeral and melodramatic”, as Kenney has it, and is in keeping with Bar Planet’s general theme of subversion, as Kenney explains.
“Currently we’re trying to use the power of familiarity in unexpected ways, cocktails that generate a sense of déjà vu, advanced but acceptable. Classic style cocktails but extending the central idea.”
The bar-top itself maintains this theme, featuring a swirling, space-inspired terrazzo designed by Australian artist David Humphries and constructed from surfboard resin, adorned with galaxies and planets.
Aside from Martinis, a small menu of additional cocktails is offered, including a creamy rendition of a Bee Sting made with a base of Archie Rose Honey Spirit, and a Scorpino – a take on the Italian classic Sgroppino, mixed up with seasonal sorbets and sparkling wine. Of course, Mucho Group’s OK! Margarita Seltzer is also in the fridge.
And while the bar may be themed around outer space, the team has deliberately looked closer to home when creating the drinks menu.
“All our products are from around Australia or as far as NZ, we’re trying to really localise our offering and stay in touch with what’s around us,” Kenney says.
Finally, Kenney reflected on his whirlwind experiences over the last few years, and how they inform his wider view of hospitality, saying: “Every single person has the capacity for excellence.”
“Be patient, take time to learn what’s out in the world, be obsessed with what you do and don’t take yourself too seriously.”
