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Hanky Panky

Mexico City

At first Hanky Panky was a true speakeasy, a place for its founder, Walter Meyenberg, to hang out with his friends. But a great secret is difficult to keep, and eventually the nightly queue around the block was a sign that the bar needed to open to the public. The entrance remains hidden today behind a fully operational (and very good) taco vendor. Inside, in the dimly lit space with its red leather seating and marble bar top, the team, led by Ismael Martinez and Gina Barbachano, skilfully throw drinks that feel classic and transportive. But Hanky isn’t stuck in the past. The bar opened its doors to the global cocktail industry during the lockdown closures (Mexico’s restrictions were not so tight as some other countries), creating an international bartending family. Its current menu, Passport, is a love letter to that, a logbook of experiences, flavours and human connections. Take Latino Americano, a pineapple and coffee-infused twist on an Americano, inspired by Cartagena in Colombia. Hanky Panky may have started out with its door shut but it has become the open-armed centre of a global bartending culture.

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