“All my friends said, ‘You’ll f*cking die man, why would you go there?'” Eric Van Beek smiles at the memory. His friends, used to the cycle of news stories portraying Mexico as dangerous and violent, couldn’t understand his decision to leave Amsterdam, where he was born and raised, for Mexico City. 

Five years later, on October 22nd, 2024, in the Madrid Arena, as the event reached its finale, the stage erupted in a storm of celebrations as co-founders Eric, Marquitos Di Battista, Joseph Kuri, Rodrigo Urraca, lab manager Yiyi Aparicio, and other members of the team popped bottles and bounced around as they celebrated their Handshake Speakeasy, in Mexico City, being named No.1 at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024. 

The following afternoon, Eric, Marquitos Di Battista, and Rodrigo Urraca huddled together – on an especially crisp autumn Madrid afternoon – on a sofa in the yard of Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid where the World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 staged its closing party. They quickly shrugged off any suggestion of a hangover – despite the hail of champagne on the stage the previous night – as they reflected on the success of Handshake Speakeasy.  

Success Doesn’t Happen In Isolation

Handshake Speakeasy’s rise, they pointed out, didn’t happen in isolation. Mexico City’s culinary revolution, led by era-defining restaurants like Pujol and Quintonil, had already shown the world what was possible. “The restaurants proved that Mexico City could compete at the highest level,” Eric Van Beek reflects. “They set a roadmap for the rest of us – including in the bar industry – to follow.”

But despite proudly flying Mexico’s flag, Handshake Speakeasy embodies a global cross-pollination. Marquitos Di Battista, for example, is an Argentinian cocktail maestro who also has his own brand of artisanal bitters, Bitter Di Battista. And Eric’s friends haven’t been the only ones stirred up by the displacement and mixing of cultures. “My son cheered for Mexico in their recent match against Argentina,” Di Battista says with a mock grimace – an act of almost unforgivable betrayal for any proud Argentinian football fan. “I guess that’s what happens when you build something bigger than yourself.”

“In Mexico, you don’t hide flavor, you honor it.”

Eric Van Beek faced his own challenges adapting to Mexican tastes. Arriving with a palate formed on European flavors, he entered a culture where cuisine isn’t just appreciated – it’s revered. Mexican food, built on millennia of agricultural wisdom and cultural exchange, demands bold expression. Its dishes celebrate individual ingredients: the earthiness of heirloom corn, the complexity of dozens of chile varieties, and the subtle sweetness of endemic herbs. Each component speaks clearly and proudly of its origins. This wasn’t the restrained elegance Van Beek knew from Europe; it was an unabashed celebration of flavor.

His solution was considered but simple: each cocktail would spotlight one spirit and one dominant flavor, mirroring the directness he found in Mexican cooking. No muddled profiles, no confusion – just clarity and purpose in every glass. “I learned to let ingredients speak for themselves,” he says. “In Mexico, you don’t hide flavor, you honor it.”

Precision, Respect For Classics, That Little Touch Of Magic At Handshake Speakeasy

This laser focus extends to their lab work, where boundaries between science and craft blur. Their Piña Colada, now a signature, exemplifies this approach. “That drink isn’t going anywhere,” Eric Van Beek insists. “It represents everything we believe in – precision, respect for classics, and that little touch of magic that makes people smile.”

The global spirits industry has watched Mexico’s rising star with interest, particularly the surge in popularity of mezcal and tequila. But Rodrigo Urraca sees beyond the trend. “People talk about peak agave like it’s coming,” he says, “but they don’t understand – mezcal and tequila are just the beginning. There’s a whole world of Mexican spirits waiting to be discovered.”

Hidden behind an unmarked door in Juárez, the bar became a testament to possibility – showing what happens when you ignore preconceptions and chase excellence instead. The victory marked a seismic shift in the global cocktail landscape. For the first time, the World’s 50 Best Bars’ top spot had left the traditional strongholds of Europe and North America. The industry’s center of gravity is shifting, with Asia and Latin America ascending while the old guard holds firm. The result? A thrilling state of equilibrium where innovation can come from anywhere.

Assumptions Shattered 

Co-owner and bar director Eric Van Beek, alongside Di Battista, Joseph Kuri, Urraca, and lab manager Yiyi Aparicio, built more than just a bar. They created more proof that Mexico City deserves its place at the global hospitality table. Their win wasn’t just about cocktails – it was about shattering assumptions.

Eric Van Beek didn’t just survive Mexico City; he thrived. Now, in a twist to the story, in 2025, he’ll open a new venue in Amsterdam, Shakerato, bringing lessons from Handshake’s success. But this time, his friends won’t be warning him about the move. They’ll be lining up at the door.