50 Best, the prestigious entity which elaborates gastronomic rankings, released on Tuesday its list of bars for this year. The first place was awarded to Sips, in Barcelona, keeping the city at the top of the list but replacing Paradiso, which took the crown last year.
The Latino footprint can be seen already from the third place: Handshake Speakeasy, in Mexico City, occupies the third spot of the podium this year. But it's far from being the only regional representative. There are other eight bars in Latin America and an additional in Miami, La Trova, which according to 50 Best is "a legend in both the Cuban expat and craft cocktail communities."
"Within the bright room in Miami's Little Havana, a rumba band plays while Cuban families revel alongside swank visitors. The headlining act can be found behind the bar. Donning smart dinner jackets, cantineros – the famed Cuban school of bartending – flamboyantly shake, stir and salsa through an impressive repertoire of drinks." 50 Best says about the bar: "From music to mouths, La Trova offers Cuba's best in exile."
Overall, there are four bars in Mexico City, three in Buenos Aires, one in Cartagena, Colombia, and one in Lima. As well as Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico features Licorería Limantour (7th), Hanky Panky (22nd) and Baltra Bar (45th). Buenos Aires, on its end, has Tres Monos (11th), CoChinChina (26th) and Florería Atlántico (30th).
Cartagena's Alquimico is the third Latin American bar in the top 10, placing ninth. "Alquímico shows its multiple personalities across three – usually packed – floors of a renovated colonial mansion in Cartagena de Indias", says 50 Best about the best bar in South America, owned by French-Vietnamese Jean Trinh.
Lima, known for consistently featuring some of the best restaurants in the world, made it to the bars list through Carnaval. "The bartender responsible is one Aaron Díaz, who, on his return to the Peruvian capital, packed up all his international experience and brought it home in a suitcase", reads a passage of the description.
Its cocktails show a "globetrotting bent" best illustrated by its Carnaval, its flagship drink "hidden away in a glowing sky lantern, comprising gin, pineapple, green herbal liqueur, lime and witbier".
Besides having the most bars in South America in the list, Buenos Aires took some of the individual awards. Tres Monos received the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award 2023 for "delivering service with heaps of character".
"Behind the scenes, there is a strong focus on employee wellbeing and satisfaction, resulting in a crew that wants to go above and beyond to make patrons feel welcome – and to have them come back time and time again," explains 50 best when listing the reasons for giving this bar the award.
At an individual level, Argentine Renato "Tato" Giovannoni received the Roku Industry Icon Award 2023, recognizing him as a "master bartender shaking Argentinian history." The owner of Florería Atlántico "puts a modern twist on Argentinian classics, resulting in a unique experience that can only be found at his much-loved BA bar", according to 50 Best.
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