Superbueno

Mezcal fat-washed with mole under an amari blend, and a salted plum and tamarind milk punch, at the corner of 1st and 1st. Twelfth bar in the world.

Why go

Ignacio Nacho Jimenez spent twenty years behind New York bars before he opened this one, and The World's 50 Best Bars reads it as the two things at once: the bar represents the two decades he's spent in Gotham as well as his Mexican heritage. Kip Moffitt runs the drinks and the technique is aimed squarely at Mexican pantry ingredients, which is where the specs get interesting. The kitchen is Cyed Adraincem's and it is not an afterthought. Jimenez works the floor himself, and 50 Best names that as the part of the offer no menu carries: Nacho can frequently be spotted welcoming guests, whether that entails pouring water or pouring shots.

Order this / avoid

Order: the Salted Plum & Tamarind Milk Punch, built on charanda, ayuuk, salted plum, tamarind, lojana tea and milk. Then the Mole Negroni, which 50 Best specs as "mole fat-washed mezcal, amari blend, sweet vermouth, xocolati bitters." Eat the Birria Grilled Cheese, braised beef and cheese on bolillo with consomme to dip. Ask what slushie or tepache is on.
Order: the green mango martini with chilli oil dropped on it, which is The Infatuation's pick and Time Out's too.7 5
Avoid: a late walk-in on a weekend. It is a small corner room on every drinks list going.

What locals & experts say

The World's 50 Best Bars, No. 12: Technical mastery meets traditional Mexican ingredients here to deliver bright, delicious cocktails.1
The Infatuation (5 May 2023, in the bar's first weeks): Yes, there's a margarita, but it's creamy and made with huitlacoche. And yes, there's a martini, but it's pleasantly sour from green mango.2

Good to know

Timing: evening and late every night, and it opens in the afternoon at the weekend, which is what Jeff's own note flags.8
Booking: book it. The room is small and the list is long.
Standing: it took Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar, presented by Diageo Bar Academy, at the eighteenth Spirited Awards on 25 July 2024, and North America's 50 Best Bars had it ninth in 2026.4 6 3
The room: a mosaic bar, a wall of miniature luchador masks and a lot of small tables, lit like a neon sunset.7
Who is behind it: Nacho Jimenez with Greg Boehm, who also has Katana Kitten and Mace.3

Jeff's take (his words)

Note: A top bar us 2024. Lots of awards. Open late don't miss it. More awards 2025

Verdict

must-visit — If the Mole Negroni is too much for whoever you brought, the Vodka Y Soda is the same bar being gentle, with a cooling guava puree under the heat.

Superbueno.