Two Mexico City bars were recently crowned some of the best bars in North America by North America’s 50 Best Bars. Rayo ranked 17^th overall and Licoreria Limantour took fourth overall. Rayo also took the Best New Opening title, opening just 18 months ago and being the highest new entry on the list.

Rayo sits on the rooftop of a landmark heritage estate in the Roma Norte district. The bar celebrates the city’s heritage and history through an immersive menu of 10 cocktails, each showcasing the flavors of Mexico’s spirit-making regions. Drawing inspiration from the legend of Mayahuel, a Mexican goddess who came to earth in the form of an agave, Rayo lets no detail go unnoticed or unappreciated.

© Courtesy of Rayo

Guests enter an airy, blue-hued room highlighted by neon light fixtures resembling the lightning bolts that brought Mayahuel down to earth.  Rayo’s physical menu is an intricately carved, 3-D box with tincture bottles for guests to sample flavors of each drink before deciding which full cocktail they want to try. Each cocktail incorporates a different Mexican spirit, but crafts each spirit in seemingly impossible ways, from bubblegum-infused Amaro to pandam-charged Negronis to edible garnishes like puffed beef tenderloins.

Cocktail highlights include 6, a clarified honey-mezcal aperitif infused with fermented kumquats and yellow chartreuse; 7, a whiskey-forward drink with clarified Jack Daniels and bacanora redistilled with citrus peels and topped with emulsified lemon chia jelly; and 10, a tropical concoction inspired by the Jalisco coast, featuring carbonated Yucca shrub and dehydrated cilantro roots.

No. 6 © Courtesy of Rayo

Licoreria Limantour joins Rayo in the bars representing Mexico City, ranking fourth not only on North America’s 50 Best Bars but also on the World’s 50 Best Bar List. At this bar, guests peruse a menu celebrating founder Benjamin Padrón and bar manager José Luis León’s home city.

This bar, which first hit the scene in 2011, proves its drinks stand the test of time with cocktails like Mezcal Stalk (mezcal, orange liqueur, pineapple juice and agave honey, all rimmed with worm salt) and the beloved Margarita al Pastor (tequila, orange liqueur, taco mix and lime).