It's been almost a week since the Cocktail Bar was named Handshake Speakeasy of Mexico City as the leader of the The World's 50 Best Bar and the frenzy continues to permeate the entire brigade: «It's really crazy to be in first place in the 50 Best Bars – he tells us Rodrigo Urraca, one of the founding members of theHandshake Speakeasy – I always say 'be careful what you wish for' and this is a dream come true.
It was a goal that we pursued and finally achieved as a team. However, this will certainly entail a lot of responsibility and customers will come to our bar with many expectations, but we will be ready to work well and above all we are ready to satisfy our guests!
Handshake Speakeasy: Its Birth to the 50 Best Bars
Handshake Speakeasy was born in Mexico City in 2018 from an idea of Rodrigo Urraca And Mark DiBatista: «In the past I was a brand ambassador for a sponsor of 50 Best Bars that year I was offered tickets for the ceremony. So I invited my best customer of that period, Mark DiBatista and, during the award ceremony for 50 Best Bar Marcos said to me: “Rodri, what would it be like to win an award like that?” and I said “I have no idea Marcos”. It was there that he proposed to me: “What if we built a bar together? Don't worry about the money, I'll take care of it. You do what you do best, take care of the PR and we'll give you a 10%, okay?”. I accepted Marco's proposal and we shook hands, that's why we called it Handshake, because from that gesture we signed that contract» Rodrigo tells us.
So, focus on the goal, In January 2019 Rodrigo and Marcos built the first Handshake Bar in Polanco, one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Mexico City: "It's one of the most expensive streets in Latin America, comparable to Fifth Avenue in New York. We wanted it to be the most incredible bar, with the most luxurious atmosphere, the most of everything, but we made two mistakes: the first was choosing the wrong partners, because ours wanted to sell bottles, while we wanted to sell cocktails. The second mistake was the Polanco area, a neighborhood where customers prefer to drink bottles and not cocktails," Rodrigo tells us. "The culture of mixology arrived in Mexico in 2011 with Limantour."
Rodrigo continues: «At the beginning we were six partners, then Marcos and I remained and we started to organize events and activities to create our own identity, such as doing guest bartending with names like Yeray Monforte or James Giannitti of the Cocktail Bar Paradise».
Then the pandemic came and we were almost forced to close, until I met Eric van Beek and I thought, 'This guy is a genius at making drinks,' so I went to Marcos and asked if I could include him in the company. He was a bit skeptical and asked me, 'Do you really want to give the 10% of the business to someone you just met?' and I was firmly convinced that it could work, and to this day there has been no second thoughts about our choice.".
Eric van Beek was born and raised between the Netherlands and the United States. He has achieved success in the international world of bars and cocktails, including winning the Bacardi Legacy Global Winner in 2018 and was awarded in 2018 and 2019 for running the most creative cocktail program in the Netherlands.
After a brief stint in Mexico City in 2019, Eric will return to the city in April 2021 to take part in the project Handshake Speakeasy with Mark DiBatista And Rodrigo Hurrah.
Coming to today, What does the Handshake Speakeasy look like? The new Handshake is located inside the NH Hotel in Calle Amberes 65, «We transformed a former shoe store into a bar that retains the soul of the original Handshake: black, gold and the inspiration of “The Great Gatsby”. The bar is small, has only 32 seats and can only be accessed by reservation for 90-minute sessions, thus obtaining a rotation of four shifts per day – Rodrigo tells us – At the beginning, customers complained about the long waits and the difficulty in finding a seat, even writing negative reviews on Google.
In response, we opened a second space in the basement of the hotel that was previously used for food storage. This second bar is inspired by the concept of a Japanese izakaya and equipped with innovative technology, such as a long cold line on the bar that keeps cocktails at the right temperature, especially for drinks like the Negroni. Behind the bar we present Mexican spirits from local producers such as agave, sotol, tequila and mezcal, while the big brands are there but less visible, since our focus is on small producers».
The second bar is much more spacious, has 55 seats and maintains the “Great Gatsby” aesthetic with candles and retro-style details: “When you enter,” says Rodrigo, “you close the door and see the Handshake logo lit up, then you walk through the curtain and you find yourself immersed in the unique atmosphere of the bar, just like in our first location.”
The laboratory, the most popular cocktails and future projects
As the local volumes increase, Handshake Speakeasy needed a place to prepare their cocktails before the customers arrived: «Both for timing and to offer better and more sophisticated products, we decided to increase the technology behind the bar by purchasing two rotovapors from English suppliers. After explaining our project, they finally supported us and sold us the equipment. We currently use this space also for events with special guests behind the bar and we use a workstation that also serves as a table for preparations. Today our brigade has 35 members, of which 5 of them arrive at 10 in the morning and prepare the bar; the rest arrive at 16:30, have lunch and get ready for the shift.
Our cocktails are prepared 24-48 hours in advance to ensure consistency, regardless of who makes them, so that there is no difference in taste: Every drink is always high quality and served quickly. For the customer who wants a classic Gin & Tonic or a Negroni for example, we create it on the spot without any problems".
Before bringing a drink to the table, three filterings take place at Handshake: bartender who prepares it, the barback that brings it to the service line and the people who taste it before serving it. If one of them sees something wrong, they go back. As for the food section, Handshake Speakeasy is in collaboration with the chef Fernando Martinez Zavala of the restaurant Migrant: «Our intention – says Rodrigo – is to ensure that the quality of the food is at the same level as our mixology proposal."
But What are the best-selling cocktails at Handshake Speakeasy? «We always have the Pina Colada,
but in a clarified version, served differently from the original and much appreciated – Rodrigo tells us – then there is Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca,
inspired by Mexican master distillers made with Siete Misterios Doba-Yej Mezcal, mint and Absinthe. We infuse the mint with the mezcal for about eight hours, then continue with a clarification with milk that also lasts another eight hours. Finally it is served between the flames, a truly special cocktail. We also have the Peanut Butter Jelly,
served with a small chocolate sandwich instead of bread. Other cocktails include those with strong visual elements, such as one that recalls Lego and another based on mushrooms. The most requested is Salt and Pepper, which represents Mexico through mezcal and chili pepper."
Now that the goal of the summit of the 50 Best Bars has been reached, What are the future plans of Handshake Speakeasy? "We're certainly not stopping," Rodrigo says, laughing. "Now we've opened a third location, again in Mexico City, opposite the other two. This one, however, will be oriented toward pairing food and cocktails, to offer a complete gastronomic experience."
Finally, we asked Rodrigo his favorite cocktail and spirits: "My favorite cocktail is the Daiquiri because it is fresh and not too sweet. As for spirits, as a good Mexican I love all that are local products like Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol and Raicilla!"
