While it may be no surprise that an Argentine owns the world’s best bar, you might be startled to discover that a Fernet and Coke is not on the menu.

“We do, however, have a cocktail based on a Caprese salad,” the bar’s co-founder Marcos Di Battista attempted to defend himself in an interview with the Herald. Handshake Speakeasy, located in Mexico City, Mexico, was recently named the World’s Best Bar, in the annual competition, sponsored by Perrier.

Bars from 28 cities were named on the list of 50 best bars in the 16th iteration of the prestigious competition. To gain the first spot, Handshake Speakeasy beat out Bar Leone in Hong Kong, and Sips in Barcelona, which were awarded second and third places, respectively.

“I’ve always been involved in the world of mixology, and have been interested in drinks.” Di Battista told the Herald. “I’ve always had the dream and the goal to open a bar.”

No stranger to gastronomy, Di Battista originally focused his attention on restaurants. He opened two different venues, both of which are still operating successfully today, before turning to Handshake. However, he wasn’t always lauded in the industry.

Di Battista, originally from La Plata, relocated to Mexico in 2009 due to Argentina’s economic instability. His sister had already been living in Mexico for several years, and she motivated him to make the move by emphasizing the opportunities available in Mexico and the country’s openness to foreigners.

When he first moved to Mexico, he worked as a nightclub manager before beginning a stint at an advertising agency. There, he was invited to take part in a couple of gastronomic projects, one of which was an effort to open an Argentine parilla. Despite none of the projects taking off, Di Battista wasn’t deterred.

“I was hard-headed and stubborn and wanted it to work because it seemed interesting, so we opened a food court… that just celebrated nine years in business, and this is the first time gastronomy went well for me.” After that venture, Di Battista opened another food court, this one with a focus on Latin American cuisine and culture.

With two restaurants under his belt, he shifted his gaze to the nightlife. He’d long had an interest in the bar scene and enjoyed bartending in his restaurants. Di Battista entered mixology competitions and won a couple of awards.

In 2018, a brand he was working with invited him to the celebration of The World’s 50 Best Bars in London. He described watching the awards ceremony and commenting to the brand director, Rodrigo Urraca, who had invited him to attend.

“I said to him, ‘What would it feel like to win a prize like that?’ and he responded, ‘Let’s open a bar and find out.’ And that’s where the dream of Handshake began.”

In early 2019, Di Battista and Urraca opened the Mexico City bar with their fellow partners Eric van Beek and Joseph Khouri.

Hidden behind an unpretentious black door, Handshake Speakeasy gives off a New York prohibition-era vibe. It flaunts an Art Deco style with moody lighting, black decor, and gold accents. You probably wouldn’t know it was owned by an Argentine unless you spotted the painting of the shield of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Di Battista’s football team.

Never before has a Latin American bar landed the first-place spot. The response, Di Battista noted, has been tremendous. The bar’s reservation list, previously a two-week wait, is now nearly a month and a half long.

Di Battista attributed the bar’s win to two main aspects — cocktails and service. The cocktail menu features unique drinks made with European techniques and local products, such as a butter mushroom old fashioned or a matcha dame blanche that features Bombay Sapphire Gin with flavors of matcha tea and white chocolate. The locale pre-produces all of its cocktails in an on-site laboratory 24 to 48 hours in advance so that your drink will taste exactly the same every single time, regardless of who made it.

Mexican hospitality is in a league of its own, Di Battista remarked, explaining that the bar doesn’t have hosts and waiters, only bartenders. The staff rotates through each role, ensuring that no matter who guests turn to with questions about the menu, they’ll know the answer. The person who shows you to your seat on a Tuesday might be behind the bar on a Friday.

The Handshake Speakeasy team plans to open another location in Amsterdam in March 2025. The new spot will have a different fee: it will operate as a café in the morning and serve food and cocktails later in the day.

When asked about his favorite Buenos Aires bar  Di Battista listed Floreria Atlántico, CoChinChina, and Tres Monos. All three also made the best bar list.

Handshake Speakeasy regularly invites other well-known international bars into their space to do “takeovers.” The Retiro bar Floreria Atlántico recently hosted a takeover in the Mexico City bar. Di Battista added that they’d like to line up future events in Buenos Aires, they just need to be invited (hint, hint).