Mexico’s bar scene is attracting worldwide attention: the capital now boasts some haunts that are at the top of the rankings for the world’s best bars. So how did this makeover come about, in a country that has always been big on traditions but never really been considered a gourmet destination? We put that question to our HostAmbassador in Mexico, Liliana López Sorzano, a food and wine journalist who is one of the “antennae” the International Hospitality Exhibition has around the world.

“The cocktail culture in Mexico has two slogans: honour your local area and celebrate what is yours. A phenomenon not unlike the one seen in Mexican and Latin American haute cuisine, which two decades ago looked beyond its borders for inspiration, (particularly to Europe and North America), but has now turned its attention inwards to make the most of the products, history and culinary techniques of each country.”

On the menus of Mexico’s bars in Tulum, Guadalajara, Oaxaca and Mexico City itself, little-known national spirits have been appearing. Of course tequila and mezcal still feature prominently in drink preparations, but now sotol, charanda, raicilla, bacanora and pox have also found their way onto the cocktail scene, bringing with them their history, their various flavours and their designations of origin. “All these spirits are made using traditional craft processes and are firmly rooted in rural areas. They are made from maize, the agave plant family or sugar cane.”

The creation of cocktails also includes local fermented drinks like tepache (based on fermented pineapple), which is what Baltra Bar used for its Local Oasis cocktail made from mezcal, Aperol, tepache and lemon juice. Alternatively they can involve the use of ingredients like flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit in season, for example cempasúchil (the marigold flower widely found in Day of the Dead celebrations), or hoja santa, extensively used in Mexican cuisine and found in the Martini that Salón Rosetta offers in Mexico city.

Liqueurs are now also being made from such national foodstuffs as chilli peppers, maize or coffee, as in the Federalismo cocktail at the Salón Gallos in Guadalajara, which contains tequila, Ancho Reyes (a chilli pepper-based liqueur), green apple, ginger and lemon.

“Generally speaking, a lot of bars want to offer an experience or distinctive drinks, ones that tell a unique story specific to the local area and give a sense of belonging. The idea is to offer both local people and foreigners a drink it would be hard to find in other cities around the world. The pursuit of identity by bars, without losing their global character, is a constant in Mexico today,” López Sorzano says, finally.

The Bars-Coffee Machines-Vending section of HostMilano has accessories, dining-room equipment and beverages, but also runs dozens of workshops and seminars with some of the most interesting bartenders and baristas of the moment along with the main category associations. The next edition of HostMilano will be held at fieramilano Rho from 13 to 17 October 2023.