Leo Betanzos: a life behind the bar, shaped by hospitality, memory, and the pulse of Mexico City.
GLOBAL AMBASSADOR, CONDESA GIN.
She began in hospitality almost by accident, without realizing that the path would eventually become part of who she is. It started in a mezcalería, at a time when espadín was on the rise and mezcal was just beginning to be understood differently. Back then, many mezcalerías doubled as learning spaces, where bartenders were starting to integrate it into cocktails.
Then the ocean called.
She spent a brief but intense chapter in Puerto Vallarta, where bars moved to the rhythm of the beach — blenders as instruments, sweet premixes, creamy drinks, frozen ice, and carefree techniques. A different kind of school. A different kind of energy.
She eventually returned to Mexico City — loud, chaotic, layered. A city that reveals itself slowly. It was there that she began refining her senses. In a small corner of Condesa, within Grupo Toscano, in a wine-focused space where cocktails were just beginning to emerge, she started experimenting more intentionally: chutneys, syrups, tinctures.
Later, her path led her to a Japanese cocktail bar, an izakaya-inspired space marked by the presence of a tanuki — a Japanese raccoon symbolizing fortune and prosperity. There, she deepened her understanding of precision and detail. She also created a menu where childhood met creativity, inspired by the Japanese cartoons she watched on Canal 5, with cocktails like Oliver Atom and Pechan. That chapter brought her a mention in Forbes — but more importantly, it gave her identity.
Along the way, she met Hillham, a young master distiller with a fresh and bold vision of Mexican spirits. Through her, she discovered Xila and became an ambassador for a time, understanding that the spirit of Mexico can evolve without losing its roots.
Then came Licorería Limantour.
A dream for anyone behind the bar. She passed the interview and stayed for eight years. It was there that she grew, challenged herself, and transformed. She eventually became head bartender, exploring creativity, trends, and above all, hospitality — that invisible art of making someone feel at home.
It was also during this time that she received a call that would change everything.
A new gin, still undefined, called Condesa. It was the middle of the pandemic, the world paused. At that moment, all that existed was a blank spirit — a Mexican gin. She returned to the basics, sketching tasting wheels with colored pencils, reconnecting with the fundamentals. She immersed herself in the world of gin, understanding it more deeply as the brand itself began to take shape. From one gin came three. From an idea, a project.
Condesa has since taken her across places, building friendships, sharing bars, and creating projects along the way.
Today, she is Global Ambassador, with the intention of carrying a piece of Mexico City in every bottle.
Because Condesa is exactly that — a tribute to a neighborhood where the retro coexists with the new, without ever losing its Mexican essence.
