Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy Is Crowned the Best Bar in the World

Tori Latham
·3-min read

For the first time ever, if you want to visit the best bar in the world, you’ll have to head to Mexico.

Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy was crowned the best cocktail bar on the planet by the World’s 50 Best Bars. Overseen by bar director Eric van Beek, the bar is the very first in Mexico to occupy the top spot on the annual list, which is in its 16th edition. The full ranking was announced on Tuesday evening at a ceremony in Madrid.

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“To be the first ever No.1 from Mexico is an outstanding achievement, of which Eric van Beek and his team are hugely deserving,” Emma Sleight, the head of content for the World’s 50 Best Bars, said in a statement. “The bar’s impressive rise through the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars over the years is a testament to their unique combination of flawless hospitality, innovative technique and truly excellent cocktails.”

While Handshake Speakeasy moved up from the No. 3 spot last year, a whopping 16 bars appeared in the top 50 for the first time. The highest new entry is Hong Kong’s Bar Leone, which joined the list as an impressive No. 2. Only two bars fell out of the ranking completely, not even being downgraded to the runner-up list of Nos. 50 to 100—Sago House, which was ranked No. 32 last year, and Galaxy Bar, which was No. 50.

A handful of cities each saw four spots make the grade this year: London, New York City, and Singapore. In the British capital, the highest-ranking bar is Tayēr + Elementary at No. 4. In the Big Apple, Double Chicken Please takes the cake at No. 14 (dropping from No. 2 last year). And Singapore’s Jigger & Pony ranks at No. 5. The highest climber from last year, meanwhile, is the Cambridge Public House in Paris, which rose to No. 19 from No. 38.

The World’s 50 Best list is voted on by more than 700 experts in the beverage industry, including bartenders, consultants, writers, and cocktail specialists. This year, that voting body has decided that there may be no better drinks than those being served up at Handshake Speakeasy.

The World’s 50 Best Bars list for 2024

  1. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City

  2. Bar Leone, Hong Kong

  3. Sips, Barcelona

  4. Tayēr + Elementary, London

  5. Jigger & Pony, Singapore

  6. Line, Athens

  7. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires

  8. Alquímico, Cartagena

  9. Zest, Seoul

  10. Paradiso, Barcelona

  11. Himkok, Oslo

  12. BKK Social Club, Bangkok

  13. Connaught Bar, London

  14. Double Chicken Please, New York

  15. Overstory, New York

  16. Lady Bee, Lima

  17. Baba au Rum, Athens

  18. Coa, Hong Kong

  19. The Cambridge Public House, Paris

  20. Tlecān, Mexico City

  21. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne

  22. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires

  23. Salmon Guru, Madrid

  24. Martiny’s, New York

  25. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo

  26. Maybe Sammy, Sydney

  27. Superbueno, New York

  28. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore

  29. Satan’s Whiskers, London

  30. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh

  31. Tan Tan, São Paulo

  32. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City

  33. Drink Kong, Rome

  34. Jewel of the South, New Orleans

  35. Byrdi, Melbourne

  36. Locale Firenze, Florence

  37. Scarfes Bar, London

  38. Moebius Milano, Milan

  39. Bar Nouveau, Paris

  40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai

  41. Bar Us, Bangkok

  42. Virtù, Tokyo

  43. Atlas, Singapore

  44. La Sala de Laura, Bogotá

  45. Röda Huset, Stockholm

  46. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires

  47. Analogue Initiative, Singapore

  48. El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara

  49. Danico, Paris

  50. 1930, Milan

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