Handshake Speakeasy holds North America’s best bar title
Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy has maintained its position at the top of North America’s 50 Best Bars list for a second year.
The top 50 list was revealed during a live ceremony on 29 April at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver hotel in Canada.
Last year, Handshake Speakeasy usurped New York’s Double Chicken Please from the top spot, which fell to number 19 this year. It was runner-up in 2023, the year it opened.
Handshake Speakeasy’s cocktails, such as its twist on a Paloma, are minimalistic but ‘much more complex than what meets the eye’, according to 50 Best Bars.
This year’s runner-up was New York City’s Superbueno, holding its position from last year. The remaining top five were Mexico City’s Tlecān, New Orleans’ Jewel of the South and New York’s Sip & Guzzle.
The latter placed on the list for the first time, also winning the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award. The bar opened in January 2024.
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.”
The US had the most bars in the list with 26, 11 of which were in New York. The city’s Clemente Bar, which opened in October 2024, placed 11th and bagged the Three Cents Best New Opening Award.
Fourteen bars from Mexico made the list, with the majority of these based in Mexico City. The capital’s listed bars include Licorería Limantour (nine), Bar Mauro (14), Baltra Bar (20), Bijou Drinkery Room (34), Hanky Panky (35), Kaito del Valle (40) and Café de Nadie (47).
Bar Pompette in Toronto placed seventh and was named the Best Bar in Canada. The nation also saw success with Civil Liberties (21), Botanist Bar (26), The Keefer Bar (28), Cloakroom (31), Atwater Cocktail Club (36) and Mother (44).
One bar from the Caribbean made the list – Library by the Sea on the Grand Cayman (30) – and one from Puerto Rico: La Factoría (32).
Notable absences on the list include Mexico City’s Rayo, which last year placed fifth; Playa del Carmen’s Zapote Bar (11); and New York’s Attaboy (31), The Dead Rabbit (33) and Milady’s (44).
The biggest falls on the list included New York’s Dante (down 26 spots to 46th) and Bekeb in San Miguel de Allende (down 22 spots to 49th).
Other prizes given on the night included the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award, which was handed to Toronto’s Civil Works, while Los Angeles-based Mírate won the Nikka Highest Climber Award after climbing 34 spots.
Meanwhile, Julie Reiner of Clover Club and Milady’s in New York received the Roku Industry Icon Award.
Thunderbolt (24) in Los Angeles won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, while Carry On in Phoenix took home the Best Bar Design Award.
The Campari One To Watch prize was awarded to Lemon in Chicago.
The full list
- Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City, Mexico
- Superbueno, New York, US
- Tlecān, Mexico City, Mexico
- Jewel of the South, New Orleans, US
- Sip & Guzzle, New York, US
- Overstory, New York, US
- Bar Pompette, Toronto, Canada
- El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara, Mexico
- Licorería Limantour, Mexico City, Mexico
- Kumiko, Chicago, US
- Clemente Bar, New York, US
- Mírate, Los Angeles, US
- Café La Trova, Miami, US
- Bar Mauro, Mexico City, Mexico
- Martiny’s, New York, US
- Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco, US
- True Laurel, San Francisco, US
- Employees Only, New York, US
- Double Chicken Please, New York, US
- Baltra Bar, Mexico City, Mexico
- Civil Liberties, Toronto, Canada
- Aruba Day Drink, Tijuana, Mexico
- Service Bar Washington DC, US
- Thunderbolt, Los Angeles, US
- Best Intentions Chicago, US
- Botanist Bar, Vancouver, Canada
- Arca, Tulum, Mexico
- The Keefer Bar, Vancouver, Canada
- Selva, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Library by the Sea, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
- Cloakroom, Montreal, Canada
- La Factoría, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Maison Premiere, New York, US
- Bijou Drinkery Room, Mexico City, Mexico
- Hanky Panky, Mexico City, Mexico
- Atwater Cocktail Club, Montreal, Canada
- Bar Mordecai, Toronto, Canada
- Meadowlark, Chicago, US
- Bisous, Chicago, US
- Kaito del Valle, Mexico City, Mexico
- Yacht Club, Denver, US
- Katana Kitten, New York, US
- Angel’s Share, New York, US
- Mother, Toronto, Canada
- Allegory, Washington DC, US
- Dante, New York, US
- Café de Nadie, Mexico City, Mexico
- Silver Lyan, Washington DC, US
- Bekeb, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Cure, New Orleans, US
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