A secret born in Mexico City arrives in the Algarve. House Bar, at the entrance of the Clubhouse and a step away from Mizu Teppanyaki, Atlantico, Whale and Aladin, is the prelude to a great night at Vila Vita Parc.
Handshake was born in 2021 in Mexico City's Zona Rosa, one of the city's most vibrant neighbourhoods, with a secret-bar concept: a singular experience of service, drinks, atmosphere and presentation.
It's also the only bar in Mexico with a laboratory dedicated entirely to drink preparation, where every cocktail takes between 24 and 48 hours to take shape before it ever reaches the table.
Handshake's rigour lives in the details: glassware imported from Japan and ice carved into large crystalline blocks that dilute slowly and become part of the glass's own aesthetic. Every cocktail is prepared ahead of time and checked three times by the bartender, by whoever carries it to the service line, and by whoever delivers it to the table, so the taste is always the same, no matter who's pouring.
Eric van Beek joining Marcos Di Battista and Rodrigo Urraca's team helped consolidate that rigour - service that is professional yet personal, relaxed and attentive, always with the same goal: that guests feel at home. That care earned Handshake the title of the World's No.2 bar at The World's 50 Best Bars 2025, and No.1 in North America and Mexico.
On August 30, the bar returns to the hands of House Bar's own mixology team, and to its own programme of signature creations, made with the same passion. These five nights are just the beginning, but the invitation stands the rest of the year.
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