4 Mexican Bars Among the Best in the World

From Barcelona, Spain, The World's 50 Best Bars revealed its annual ranking with six Mexicans on the list that recognizes the best bars in the world. In addition, one was recognized as the best in North America.

This annual ranking began in 2009 to celebrate the unique places in the international beverage industry. The results are given after a vote of 650 beverage experts from around the globe.

In this edition, there are no establishments from Russia since the institution commented last March that it would not include bars or restaurants in its rankings from that country due to the political conflict with Ukraine.

These were the six Mexican bars ranked among the 100 best:

98. Zapote Bar, in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo

64. Brujas, in Mexico City, are led only by women

In the top 50 revealed this October, the following stood out:

32. Baltra Bar in CDMX

13. Hanky Panky in CDMX; also took the award for the best art of hospitality

11. Handshake Speakeasy in CDMX

4. Licoreria Limantour in CDXM; was also recognized as the best bar in North America.

Liquoreria Limanotur

In 2018, this bar was surprised by placing 11th. Licoreria Limantour Liquoreria Limantour, acclaimed in Roundhouse, London, as the best bar in Latin America, climbed from position 14 to 11 to 4th place in the list.

The first Limantour Liquoreria opened its doors in 2011. Jose Luis Leon and Eduardo Nava are the founding partners of the place. This magical place offers signature cocktails that have a story behind them. The site likes myth and history. Later a second branch was opened in Polanco, with the same exceptional style and service.

The cocktails are created from an exhaustive search for the perfect balance between syrups, essences, liquors, and ingredients. Among the cocktails, you can enjoy Extraviado, Pindy Collis, Mr. Pink, Gurrumino, Chapultepec, and Jamaica Mezcal, which serve in a clay pitcher with lots of ice. Remember that the bar changes its drink menu every six months and presents new seasonal proposals.

Handshake Speakeasy

Like a time machine that transports you to the 1920s in Chicago, in a square in one of the most iconic avenues of Mexico City, there is a space that puts in context the master essence of the secret bars. Handshake Speakeasy arrived with traditional and signature cocktail proposals wrapped in a classic and elegant environment.

To enter this recent acquisition of Polanco's nightlife, you must make a reservation via direct message on Instagram. They send you the code to give you the entrance. A display case with cigars generates an excellent first impression, which you walk through to later come across a thick, opaque curtain.

The style is a manifesto of the prohibition era, where lamps and chandeliers emanate a dim light reflected between worn mirrors. Black velvety armchairs for the lounge area and a bar that spans one side of the place, the Gatsby throw at its strongest peeks through as you enter.

Hanky Panky Bar

Hanky Panky Bar is a speakeasy specializing in signature cocktails and classic drinks with the best contemporary techniques. If that wasn't enough, it also ranked 95th in the 100 Best Bars 2018.

The experience of visiting Hanky Panky Bar starts when you receive the address of the most exclusive secret bar in the city, an Oaxacan fonda that hides behind its walls the number 95 on the list of the 100 Best Bars in the world. To gain access, you must make a reservation or be a member of the place (membership is $150 a year).

Hanky Panky hasn't stopped surprising lovers of good booze since it opened its doors in 2016. A year later, it surprisingly appeared on the Best Bars list made by The 50 Best Bars. The idea of the partners was to take up the famous speakeasy (hidden bars) that became famous in the United States during the Prohibition era during the 1920s and 1930s.