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Mexico City is home to the best bar in the world, according to the organization 50 Best, which just published its 2024 list of the best bars in the world. Handshake Speakeasy, an unassuming establishment making impressive cocktails in the hip Colonia Juárez neighborhood, is at the top of that list.
This year’s list, unveiled Wednesday during an event in Madrid, made history by naming the bar. It marked the first time that 50 Best has made a bar outside the U.S. or Europe it’s No. 1 winner.
“Thanks to all our guests, friends, and our Handshake family. From Mexico to the world,” the bar’s official Instagram account said after receiving the award.
Located at Amberes 65, Handshake Speakeasy is run by Erick Van Beek, Marcos Di Battista, Alejandra Orozco and Rodrigo Urraca.
Drawing inspiration from the Prohibition era, the bar’s interior design evokes the ambiance of the speakeasies of the time with dim lighting and Art Deco decor in gold and black tones that 50 Best said recalled the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920s novel “The Great Gatsby.” Its downstairs space offers an intimate space for only 32 people.
But it’s the chemistry behind the bar’s drinks and their extravagant flavors that earned Handshake Speakeasy not only the top spot on 50 Best’s worldwide list but also the top spot on its North America list, published in April.
The bar’s team, led by head bartender Van Beek, uses molecular mixology to craft impressive cocktails that are far more complex than what the bar’s minimalist menu might suggest, said the awards organization.
“Each drink is more complex than meets the eye,” 50 Best said, “often taking 48 hours to craft from start to finish and usually boasting unexpected textures.”
The bar also features an onsite laboratory where the team experiments daily on new cocktails and makes its own bitter, 50 Best noted.
For those visiting, 50 Best suggests ordering the Fig Martini or the Salt N Pepper, a fresh and spicy mezcal drink with strawberries and green peppers.
Apparently not ones to rest on their laurels, the Handshake Speakeasy team, Van Beek recently told Travel + Leisure magazine, plans to expand to Amsterdam with a spot called Shakerato (named after an iced Italian espresso drink) sometime in March of 2025.
How does the voting work?
According to 50 Best, the list is a “snapshot” of the opinions and experiences of 700 experts from all over the world — including renowned mixologists, bar owners and drinks writers — who cast their anonymous votes based on their best bar experiences of the last 18 months.
Booking a table
Reservations are available through OpenTable for one hour and 30 minutes. The maximum number of guests per reservation is six. A deposit of 250 pesos per additional guest is required for groups of five or more.
For reservations exceeding six people, contact [email protected].
Mexico News Daily