Cocktail Bar · Leidseplein · Amsterdam
Shakerato
Eric van Beek brought the team behind the world's number one bar home to Stadhouderskade, eighteen months late and worth every week of the wait.
The Pitch
The World's Number One, Translated to Dutch
Shakerato is the Amsterdam project of Eric van Beek, co owner of Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy, ranked number one in the World's 50 Best Bars 2024. The Spirits Business tracked its opening on Stadhouderskade after an eighteen month construction delay.
The Cocktail Lovers called the welcome loudly warm, hot towels included, an energy it labeled very un Amsterdam in the best way. The bites come from a Michelin starred chef and punch over bar snack weight.
Who would hate it? Spontaneous drinkers. It runs four nights a week and books out, so this is a planned occasion, not a stumble in.
The Room
Polish Without the Speakeasy Theatre
Where Handshake hides behind a Mexico City door, Shakerato sits openly on the canal ring near Leidseplein with a long bar built for watching the builds. Entree Magazine covered the design as one of the most discussed Dutch hospitality openings of the year.
The Drinks
Aperitivo In, Latin America Out
The menu runs from aperitivo classics, a martini, a negroni, the namesake shakerato, into Latin inspired signatures carrying the Handshake DNA, most around 19 euro. Tripadvisor's early reviews repeat one word about the service: exceptional.
Order a signature over a classic; the kitchen's Michelin starred bites are mandatory alongside. Skip Friday at 8pm without a booking, the room simply will not have you.
The Crowd
Booked Out, Four Nights a Week
International bar pilgrims, Amsterdam's hospitality crowd, and date nights that planned ahead. OpenTable reviews praise attentive service in a city not famous for it.
What regulars say:
- The Spirits Business covered the opening as one of Europe's most anticipated of 2026.
- The Cocktail Lovers praised the hot towel welcome and the team's energy.
- Tripadvisor reviewers call the staff exceptional and the evening one to remember.
Who it is for:
- Cocktail obsessives tracking the World's 50 Best diaspora
- A celebration that deserves the full service treatment
- Avoid if you want ten deep Dutch beer history; Arendsnest in Amsterdam pours that instead
The Verdict
Where It Lands
The most consequential Amsterdam bar opening in years. Book a Thursday, order signatures, and watch a number one team work a new room.
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Stadhouderskade by Leidseplein; trams 2, 5, and 12 stop two minutes away.
Timing: Thursday to Sunday, 6pm to 1am; book a week or more ahead for weekend slots.
Cost: Signatures around 19 euro, classics 16 to 18, chef's bites from 9.
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