#157, Eric van Beek, co-founder, Handshake Bar (Mexico City, #1 W50BB ‘24) & Shakerato (Amsterdam)

I met Eric in Amsterdam in 2019 just before he moved to Mexico City to open his first bar there, and our paths have crossed a good bit since then, most recently at the Maybe Cocktail Festival in Sydney, where we got to hang out for almost a week. 

Eric started off in the world of basketball, training and playing in the US, switched to hospitality after returning to the Netherlands, and rapidly learned his craft, winning the global finals of Bacardi Legacy in 2018 and moving to Mexico City in 2019 to open a bar there. 

His second bar in CDMX, speakeasy Handshake, opened in 2021 and within just six months was on the 50 Best Bars list, winding up as #1 in 2024 and maintaining the top spot for 50 Best Americas in both 2024 and 2025. 

In late 2025 he finally opened the European cafe-style Shakerato in his native Amsterdam.

This is a great episode, as Eric speaks with typical Dutch honesty on some of the tougher challenges he had on the road to opening a W50BB #1 bar. 

Eric on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ericvanbeek.carino/

Handshake Bar: https://www.instagram.com/handshake_bar/

Shakerato Bar: https://www.instagram.com/shakerato_bar/

Ahorita Bar: https://www.instagram.com/ahoritacantina/

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