Editorial
Latin America is the new global cocktail centre of gravity. Mexico City's Handshake holds World's #1 Bar (2024). Buenos Aires's Florería Atlántico has been a 50 Best regular for over a decade. Lima's Carnaval has won Best Bar in South America three years running. The 10 below show the breadth: mezcal temples, Pisco Sour institutions, cachaça cellars, and the cocktail laboratories that are currently rewriting the global playbook.
Each entry below is a a look at the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Forget the all-inclusive resort. The best Latin American bars work because they've learned to make great cocktails out of native spirits — mezcal, pisco, cachaça, rum, tequila — and the world has finally caught up. The 10 above all do that. Pick the city that matches the night you want.
West Coast Editor — Los Angeles to Mexico City. Casual luxury, never aspirational.