Handshake Speakeasy

Juárez, Mexico City · Cocktail Bar · $$$

Handshake has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list and helped establish Mexico City as a serious cocktail capital - a recognition that would have been unthinkable a decade ago when the city's bar scene ran mostly on beer and mezcal shots. The formula is classic speakeasy: a hidden entrance, reservation-only seating, and bartenders who treat ice as a craft ingredient. The cocktails draw heavily on Mexican distillates - mezcal, sotol, raicilla - reinterpreted through a serious technique toolkit. The room is small and the energy is concentrated.