Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy is North America's Best Bar
The cocktail is king
Vancouver was the spot for this year’s North America’s 50 Best Bars ceremony, an annual celebration of excellence and creativity in cocktails across North America. The list features 26 bars from the U.S., 14 from Mexico, eight from Canada, and two Caribbean-based bars. New York City, once again, proved its alcohol excellence with 11 bars on the list.
Emma Sleight, head of content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, said, “This year’s list is a powerful testament to the relentless drive, creativity, and world-class talent that define the cocktail industry today. These bars don’t just serve drinks – they set global standards, push boundaries, and shape the future of hospitality.”
Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy has been crowned the number one bar in North America for a second time, also making it the premier bar in its country. This Prohibition-inspired bar, tucked away in a basement in Mexico City’s Colonia Juárez neighborhood, opened in 2023 and quickly emerged as the place to drink. The small 32-seater offers cocktails that sometimes take upward of 48 hours to prep, including a fig martini and the Salt N Pepper, a fresh and spicy mezcal highball with strawberries and green peppers.
The number two spot was awarded to New York City’s Superbueno, which retains the title of The Best Bar in Northeast USA.
Rounding out the top five are TLecan in Mexico City (number three), New Orleans’ Jewel of the South (number four), and New York City’s Sip & Guzzle (number five).
The top ranking bar in Canada is Toronto’s Bar Pompette, coming in at number seven, with Grand Cayman’s Library by the Sea the highest ranking Caribbean bar (number 30).
While alcohol consumption is trending downward, with 56 percent of Americans saying they drink in 2024, compared to 67 percent in 2022, according to Gallup, that’s still a formidable number.
Additionally, special occasion drinking and once-a-week drinking remains steady, according to the same study.
That leads to the rise in the popularity of craft cocktail bars and the mindful drinking movement. And, even though a cocktail in an upscale bar might seem like a splurge — a mushroom margarita at Superbueno which took the number two spot on the list costs $20.50, for example — the cost of a cocktail splurge is still far less a gut punch to the wallet than a dinner at the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ number two establishment, Asador Extebarri, where dinner costs 280 Euros. A bargain, in comparison.
For a complete list of all bars, visit the World’s 50 Best website.