Monica Berg and Alex Kratena to open Barcelona bar
The co-founders of Tayēr + Elementary, Monica Berg and Alex Kratena, will launch Kyara in Barcelona later this month (29 May).
Kyara will be based in the SLS Barcelona hotel in the Port Fòrum neighbourhood.
The hotel bar will ‘explore a dystopian post-modern cocktail world, where iconic classics are interpreted through a lens of unconventional ingredients’.
Kratena said: “We are on a mission to redefine the contemporary hotel bar and inspire people with drinks they can’t get anywhere else. The opportunity to do this with SLS in one of our favourite cities is a dream come true.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to participate and contribute to the incredible gastronomic community of Barcelona, which we have admired for decades.’’
The bar’s name originates from an ancient Japanese word referencing the highest grade of aromatic aloeswood (oud).
Fragrance will be part of Kyara’s core concept, with a philosophy of ‘translating perfume accords, complexity and depth into every drink’.
The bar will feature the Compounding Room, with a library of distillates and extracts, nodding to the experimental space at Tayēr.
Kyara will also offer a ‘bespoke Martini diagnosis’, described as a ‘multi-sensory’ experience led by expert mixologists.
The menu is divided into seven sections: Fruits, Citrus, Florals, Amber, Chypre, Leather, and Woods. These sections are described as ‘cocktail accords’, which the team defines as ‘the blending of different raw materials to create a distinctive new composition’.
AvroKO’s London studio designed the 90-cover space, which is described as ‘villain’s lair meets multi-sensory laboratory’.
Decor blends Scandinavian functionality and Japanese minimalism, with low ceilings to create a cocoon-like space. Amber glass portals punctuate the concrete walls to offer glimpses of the bar, while the walls and ceiling feature cool, earth-toned textured plaster.
The soundscape will fuse hip hop, trap and drill with ‘dynamic elements’ of garage, afro trap and drum and bass.
To celebrate the launch, the Kyara team has collaborated with multi-disciplinary designer and artist Yomagick to create a series of AI artworks. The work explores the concept of ‘art in ingredients’ and was inspired by the seven ‘accords’ on the menu.
Other European bars opening this month include Vibes in Nice, Advocatuur in Amsterdam and Twenty8 Nomad in London.
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