The World's Best Bar is in NYC Through This Saturday Only
If you can't get to CDMX, try Midtown Manhattan
Rodrigo Urraca is standing to my left, a huge smile on his face, making sure I’m enjoying myself. ¡Pues, claro! How could I not be? The founder of the world’s best bar is chatting me up in Spanish while I sip on one of the most coveted cocktails on the planet right now.
New York City is playing host to a pop-up of the Mexico City bar Handshake Speakeasy, ranked number one on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025. Through Saturday, September 6, you’ll find Urraca, his business partner Marcos Di Battista, and mixologist extraordinaire Erik van Beek behind the MAD Bar & Lounge at the NH Collection Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Handshake Speakeasy first opened its doors in the posh Polanco neighborhood, but didn’t meet the clientele’s desire for rare wines and pricy Champagne. So Urraca and Di Battista moved their 32-seat bar to an unremarkable street in Colonia Juárez, a much hipper corner of town that would welcome a quirky cocktail bar. And, boy, did it. The crew has opened two more locations to accommodate demand, which shows no signs of slowing.
I sidled up to the bar for a preview of the event and tried a few of their libations. The ultra-smooth olive oil gimlet is made with “heaps and heaps of olive oil,” Urraca cheered, along with Tequila 1800, apple, rosemary and Lillet Blanc. I was hesitant to try the Salt ‘n’ Pepper, crafted with Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, strawberry, yellow bell pepper and habanero. Urraca promised me it didn’t have a real bite. But the guy shaking this particular drink — bartender Javier Rodríguez, with tattoos covering his entire neck up to his ears — cocked his head at me, said, “It’s a little bit dangerous,” and winked. One, please.
The drinks are excellent, but it’s not just the liquid that gets your blood flowing. There is a distinctly Mexican vibe to the experience: warm, joyful, playful, grateful. There’s no self-serious mixology happening for a see-and-be-seen crowd. (Remember how they didn’t fit in stuffy Polanco?) The Handshake Speakeasy crew is just as creative and fun as their world-dominating cocktail menu. We New Yorkers are lucky to have a fleeting chance to experience it in our own backyard. That is, if you can get a seat.
The pop-up event is currently sold out, but you can set a hopeful alert via Resy should things change.