For the first time, a Mexican bar has been crowned No.1 at The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier. From hidden entrances and science labs to ground-breaking cocktail craft, find out what’s behind its epic rise to the top
A hidden bar with a 1920s Prohibition theme is not exactly a unique concept in the cocktail world. However, Handshake Speakeasy is in a league of its own.
Behind the innocuous black door marked with a silver number 13 in Mexico City’s Colonia Juárez neighbourhood, deep inside this velvet-lined, Art Deco enclave, bar director and co-owner Eric Van Beek and his team have built a shrine to molecular mixology that has catapulted the bar to the forefront of an already innovative Mexican drinks scene.
In three years, under Van Beek’s exacting guidance, Handshake Speakeasy ranked at No.3 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023, achieved the No.2 position in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of North America’s 50 Best Bars, took the top spot in this year’s edition of the regional list, before attaining the ultimate accolade of The World’s Best Bar 2024 at the live awards ceremony in Madrid.
Van Beek says, “It’s crazy, wild. We’re from Mexico, man! I don’t have words... I’m having a bit of a moment right now.
“I don’t think people understand what it does to people who come from Mexico. They come from humble beginnings and now they are top of the world. It opens doors for them. I’m so proud of my team.”
Handshake Speakeasy, The World's Best Bar 2024, is at the forefront of Mexico City's impressive bar scene
With a cocktail menu fuelled by advanced culinary techniques, where drinks often take up to 48 hours to craft, Handshake’s experimental approach to fine-dining sips is at the root of its success. Take the Butter Mushroom Old Fashioned (bourbon, brown butter, mushroom, maple, enoki mushrooms), or the famous Mexi-Thai that combines tequila with kaffir lime, coconut basil oil and tomato, as testament. But there is always method to the madness, with an on-site laboratory run by manager Yiyi Aparicio hidden at the heart of the bar where the team experiments daily.
Handshake Speakeasy’s meteoric rise to the top of the global ranking cements Mexico’s reputation as a global cocktail hotspot, with the country’s passion for agave-based spirits, indigenous flavours and warm Latin hospitality being replicated in cities across the world.
And what's next for The World's Best Bar 2024? Rodrigo Urraca, co-founder of Handshake Speakeasy, jokes, "Let's build a hotel!"
It's the first time a bar in Mexico has been ranked No.1
More highlights from The World's 50 Best Bars 2024
The winner is joined in the rankings by a roster of fellow Mexican star bars: new entry Tlecān at No.20 – a temple devoted to lesser-known Mexican spirits such as bacanora, sotol, pox and raicilla – CDMX stalwart Licorería Limantour at No.32 and Guadalajara-based new entry El Gallo Altanero at No.48.
Urraca says, "It’s so nice that people are travelling to Mexico for its gastronomy and cocktails."
Van Beek adds, "There are so many great bars in the world. Anyone can be a genuine winner. We’re just happy it’s our bar! Congratulations [to the other bars] and thank you for supporting us, for believing in us."
There is a new entry at No.2 in the ranking: Bar Leone, an Italian-style neighbourhood cocktail bar found halfway up the Peak in Hong Kong with industry legend Lorenzo Antinori at the helm and an ethos of ‘cocktail popolari’ at its heart. This incredible debut also earns the bar the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award.
Teams from all The World's 50 Best Bars 2024 gather on stage in Madrid
Joining Bar Leone in the top five of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024, sponsored by Perrier, are: last year’s No.1, Sips in Barcelona, at No.3; London’s Tayēr + Elementary at No.4; and long-standing Singapore institution Jigger & Pony at No.5.
The awards ceremony, held in Madrid, also saw a host of special prizes bestowed upon bars and individuals, including the Nikka Highest Climber Award 2024, awarded to Paris favourite The Cambridge Public House – climbing 19 spots in this year’s list.
Seoul bar Zest takes home the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award 2024 for its continued commitment to creating a zero waste drinking den, while London-based bar Lyaness from Ryan ‘Mr Lyan’ Chetiyawardana receives the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award 2024. Discover the full list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.
Miss the ceremony? Catch up on all the action:
The 16th edition of The World’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced on Tuesday 22 October 2023 in Madrid. Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements by following us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
