Photo Credit: 50 Best BarsWhich bars made this year’s list of the very best in North America?
That was determined on Tuesday night during a live ceremony at Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, when 50 Best Bars debuted its annual list. This was the second year that the awards ceremony was held in Mexico and continues to platform the country’s place as a leader of the global cocktail scene. The annual ranking features bars from across North America, including the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Drum roll please… the top spot went to Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, which was crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North America and The Best Bar in Mexico. Handshake was closely followed by New York City’s Superbueno, ranked at No.2, and which also claimed the title of Disaronno Highest New Entry, as well as The Best Bar in Northeast USA 2024; New York City’s Overstory followed at No.3.
Toronto’s Civil Liberties, No.21, wins the title of The Best Bar in Canada, sponsored by Naked Malt for the third year in a row alongside Puerto Rico’s La Factoría, at No.18, recognized as The Best Bar in the Caribbean, for the third year in a row. Overall, the U.S. lead the list with 26 bars followed by Mexico with 15 bars, seven from Canada and two on the list from the Caribbean.
Handshake Speakeasy made history as the first bar in Mexico to be named No.1 on a North America’s 50 Best Bars list. The hidden bar is difficult to find, but those who discover the Mexico City lounge are rewarded with an unforgettable, high-end cocktail experience. While the design and ambiance, with a long marble bar and copper arches, recall the glamour and allure of the Prohibition era, the cocktail menu looks to the future. Bar director Eric van Beek uses molecular mixology to create unexpected cocktails that may appear traditional but reveal complex layered flavors on the palate. On the menu, guests can find cocktails featuring clarified juices, fat-washed spirits and unusual, home-made syrups and infused cordials. Handshake Speakeasy also features batch cocktails on draft and a laboratory hidden within the bar where the team concocts its next liquid revelations.
Trends at the awards revealed that New York continues to account for the most of North America’s top bars, this year with 12 of the 26 U.S. listees, inclusive of Superbueno (No.2) which is the Disaronno Highest New Entry, Overstory (No.3), and Martiny’s, which jumped 25 spots to No.4 to earn the Nikka Highest Climber Award. Alongside these are additional notable bars including Double Chicken Please (No.7), Katana Kitten (No.12), Employees Only (No.15), Dante (No.20), Attaboy (No.31), The Dead Rabbit (No.33), Maison Premiere (No.41), new entry Angel’s Share (No.43), and Milady’s (No.44).
Mexico City also continues to trend up, winning nine of Mexico’s 15 bars, effectively accounting for more than half of this year’s best bars in the country. The overall winner, Handshake Speakeasy, is joined by Mexico City’s Rayo (No.5), Licorería Limantour (No.9), new entry Tlecān (No.10), Café del Nadie (No.17), Baltra Bar (No.26), Kaito del Valle (No.28), Hanky Panky (No.42) and Brujas (No.45).
Canada also continues to thrive in cocktail culture, with Civil Liberties (No.21) in Toronto being named The Best Bar in Canada, alongside Vancouver’s Botanist Bar (No.24), Toronto’s Bar Pompette (No.29), Montreal’s Cloakroom (No.39), and a re-entry for this year in Vancouver, The Keefer Bar (No.49).
Grand Cayman joined the list of bars in the Caribbean with Library by the Sea (No.35) as a new entry, joining La Factoría (No.18), which continues to remain on the list as The Best Bar in the Caribbean.
The evening also saw special awards handed out, including Simpl Things in Toronto winning the Campari One To Watch, an accolade given to a bar outside of the main list that the 50 Best team believes has the ability to be named on future editions of the ranking. Meadowlark (No.32) in Chicago was named winner of the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award. The rotating menu celebrates the history of the region, featuring local spirits and liqueurs. Any bar on the North America’s 50 Best Bars list is eligible to enter this award, which is decided upon by a panel of Academy Chairs. This award was introduced in 2021 to reward bars for their innovation, design, drinks craftmanship and menu communication. Claudia Cabrera of Mexico’s Kaito del Valle (No.28) received the accolade of Roku Industry Icon. For this award, all 270 members of the voting Academy are asked to name the person who has done most to progress the bar sector. Cabrera is a vocal advocate for gender equality in the drinks industry and champions the need for more female representation behind the bar. At Kaito del Valle and in the wider industry, Claudia’s dedication to her fellow bartenders, her mentorship to colleagues and her passion to provide outstanding hospitality shines through the bar’s Japanese izakaya-style cocktail menu. Grand Cayman’s Library by the Sea (No.35) earned the London Essence Best New Opening Award, with a drinks program highlighting art, literature, and local Caymanian and Caribbean culture, while balancing inventive names and flavors that are enriched with the history of the region. True Laurel in San Francisco earned the title of Ketel One Sustainable Bar at No.30. The award is gifted to bars that demonstrate the strongest commitment to sustainability. The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is independently adjudicated by 50 Best’s international audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Additional special award winners, announced prior to the reveal of this year’s list, include New Orleans’ Jewel of the South (No.6) receiving the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award and Kate Boushel of the Barroco Group and Atwater Cocktail Club (No.50) in Canada, who is celebrated as the winner of Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.
SEE THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS BELOW IN RANKING ORDER
1. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
2. Superbueno, New York
3. Overstory, New York
4. Martiny’s, New York
5. Rayo, Mexico City
6. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
7. Double Chicken Please, New York
8. Thunderbolt, Los Angeles
9. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
10. Tlecān, Mexico City
11. Zapote Bar, Playa del Carmen
12. Katana Kitten, New York
13. Café La Trova, Miami
14. El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara
15. Employees Only, New York
16. Aruba Day Drink, Tijuana
17. Café de Nadie, Mexico City
18. La Factoría, San Juan
19. Kumiko, Chicago
20. Dante, New York
21. Civil Liberties, Toronto
22. Service Bar, Washington DC
23. Allegory, Washington DC
24. Botanist Bar, Vancouver
25. Herbs & Rye, Las Vegas
26. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
27. Bekeb, San Miguel de Allende
28. Kaito del Valle, Mexico City
29. Bar Pompette, Toronto
30. True Laurel, San Francisco
31. Attaboy, New York
32. Meadowlark, Chicago
33. The Dead Rabbit, New York
34. Selva, Oaxaca
35. Library by the Sea, Grand Cayman
36. Century Grand, Phoenix
37. Arca, Tulum
38. Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco
39. Cloakroom, Montreal
40. Bar Mordecai, Toronto
41. Maison Premiere, New York
42. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
43. Angel’s Share, New York
44. Milady’s, New York
45. Brujas, Mexico City
46. Mírate, Los Angeles
47. Cure, New Orleans
48. Best Intentions, Chicago
49. The Keefer, Bar Vancouver
50. Atwater Cocktail Club, Montreal
