Rodrigo Urraca: The Glass Should Look Ordinary—But the Guest Bursts Out in Excitement

editor editor Photo: VisitChef.com

“When we opened the Handshake Speakeasy bar, there was a boom of secret speakeasy bars. At the beginning, even the employees of the hotel where the bar is located didn’t know where the bar was. And you still can’t get to us by Uber—it will take you somewhere else,” says Rodrigo Urraca, the face of Handshake Speakeasy, which is currently ranked the best bar in the world by the prestigious The World's 50 Best Bars list.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that The World’s 50 Best Bars is based more on popularity than on experience. In reality, at its core, it’s very much an experience-driven list. It’s important...
“Our inspiration for producing Savanna rums comes from the wild nature of Réunion Island. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to understand why you would sell a rum for, say, €50 a bottle when they...
“Guests come to a bar for the experience, and it’s our role to create a deeper connection with them. When you have a regular guest and know what they like to drink, you begin to build a...
“My family has deep roots in barbecue cooking, and I am proud of that tradition. It took me 18 months of experimentation and refinement to fine-tune the timing and technique of roasting duck and...
“We break the rules in the name of flavour. I see myself as a storyteller, because I spend most of my time talking about a bottle of Brockmans Gin and helping people discover new layers of taste. We...
“Blending Austrian and Greek gastronomy feels completely natural to me - it’s how I grew up. When I cook, something feels missing if it leans too heavily in a purely Greek direction. And I’m...
“When we opened the Handshake Speakeasy bar, there was a boom of secret speakeasy bars. At the beginning, even the employees of the hotel where the bar is located didn’t know where the bar was. And...
“In competitions like Bocuse d’Or, there’s always a feeling that you could have done something differently. But at the moment of decision, you have to stand by your choice. You can’t predict the...
"We always focus on what we already have in our portfolio, but of course we also look around to see what we could create as our next product. There is still room in the world for new gin brands, but...