Overview: National Geographic Traveller (UK) highlights a shift in the Mexican cocktail experience, spotlighting eight bars that pair theatrical settings with indigenous ingredients and agave spirits. Published November 9, 2026, the report features establishments ranging from speakeasies to mezcalerías across Mexico City.
The Full Story
Mexico City’s cocktail scene is distinguished by its imaginative use of native ingredients and regional spirits. While street food remains world-renowned, there is another side to the hospitality experience found under the moody lights of lavish speakeasies and well-stocked cocktail bars. The mixology has taken an inventive turn over the last few years as indigenous ingredients make their way into the spotlight. It is not unfamiliar to taste pulque (fermented agave) as a natural sweetener or raicilla instead of the more widely known local spirit, tequila.
The report features Hanky Panky, which went hard on the clandestine trappings of the speakeasy experience. The bar first started life as owner Walter Meyenberg’s private drinking hole before opening to the public in 2016. Menus are high-concept and usually travel-themed, mixing in a love of agave spirits with ingredients and techniques from around the world. Baltra Bar pulls up a chair that feels like hanging out in Charles Darwin’s quarters aboard the Beagle. The interior resembles a Victorian naturalist’s study, decorated with vintage maps, butterfly collections, biological lithographs, taxidermied fauna and other adventurer ephemera.
Bar Mauro was ranked North America’s second-best bar in 2026 and is known for the Negroni 1929 cocktail featuring cacao nibs and strawberry. Brujas takes its name from the handsome 1908 building it’s located in — Casa de las Brujas in the Roma Norte neighbourhood said to have been the home of a folk healer named Pachita in the mid-1900s. Form + Matter makes no attempt to hide the mad science underpinning its empirical approach to molecular mixology, featuring centrifuges, rotary evaporators and other specialised equipment used for clarification, fat-washing, distillates, infusions and macerations.
Tlecān showcases Mexico’s cultural heritage through the use of its wide selection of native agave spirits. Handshake Speakeasy is one of Mexico City’s hardest bars to get into, with bookings made months ahead. Rayo is a multi-sensory experience where the entrance is hidden, with a mysterious cast-iron medallion of a bulldog serving as the only signage.
Production & Profile
The cocktail menus are inspired by travel and exploration, and include the Goldfinch (sherry, Becherovka bitters and pineapple-cinnamon syrup), Old George Sour (tequila, Pernod, basil, cucumber and cardamom) and Airplane Mode (tequila, house vermouth and cucumber brine). At Tlecān, drinks include Paloma Blanca, made from mezcal, clarified grapefruit juice, lime juice, volcanic salt and soda water, and Pulque Colada, featuring fermented agave sap, pineapple milk punch, coconut water and espadín mezcal with a coconut oil fat wash.
Handshake Speakeasy features the signature Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca, combining mint-infused mezcal, milk, lemon juice and sugar, served aflame to fan mezcal’s natural smokiness. Rayo offers the Soldado Medina, made with tequila, chilli, herbal liqueur, maraschino, cactus sorbet and lime. The Avery Milk Punch contains authentic Mexican moonshine with fig, green apple, lemon, milk and vanilla tea, served in a delicate tea cup.
Brand & Industry History
Handshake Speakeasy is Number one on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2024. Rayo is one of Mexico’s first high-end cocktail bars, and its entrance to this meticulously restored mansion is hidden. Bar Mauro is named after Mauro Mendoza, the Milanese grandfather of Mexican-born owners Ricardo and Eduardo, who opened it as a tribute to their nonno’s love of a daily aperitif. Hanky Panky went from being owner Walter Meyenberg’s private drinking hole to opening to the public in 2016.
What This Means
As the international drinks scene lays its eyes on Mexico’s mixological prowess, attention is now being paid to indigenous ingredients. The Mexican cocktail experience has long included tequila, but a shift is occurring toward indigenous ingredients like pulque and raicilla alongside traditional tequila. Top bars are reimagining exclusivity with theatrical settings, pairing them with agave spirits and some of the world’s most inventive mixology.
Consumer Takeaway
For those visiting Mexico City, these bars offer a distinct experience ranging from intimate conversation at Baltra Bar to molecular mixology at Form + Matter. Hanky Panky is closed on Mondays, while Bar Mauro is closed on Tuesdays and Rayo is also closed on Tuesdays. Handshake Speakeasy visits are subject to a 90-minute limit, and Brujas is closed on Mondays. Booking via Instagram is essential for Bar Mauro, while Form + Matter is routinely booked solid.
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