Food & Wine’s 2025 Drinks Visionaries

Max Reis has had an excellent year. In fact, the last few have been very good to the Los Angeles–based bartender who helms the beverage program at Mírate, a restaurant and bar celebrating authentic Mexican flavors through an “Alta-California” lens. Since opening in 2022, Reis and his team have solidified their place in the drinks industry with their focus on Mexican spirits.

After earning StarChefs’ Rising Star Bartender award in 2024, Reis saw Mírate debut at No. 46 on North America’s 50 Best Bars, less than two years after opening. It was one of only two L.A. venues honored. This April, Mírate rocketed to No. 12, also claiming the Nikka Highest Climber Award and the title of Best Bar in West USA.

Mírate’s agave-led bar program doesn’t carry massive tequila brands. Instead, Reis seeks out small, family-owned producers dedicated to sustainability. He champions ethically made mezcals, ancestral pulques, Mexican gins, and Mírate’s own single‑barrel rums. Roughly one‑third of the 500‑plus bottles behind the bar are unavailable anywhere else in the United States. 

“The accolades that we’re getting, although appreciated, were never the point,” says Reis. “I think my program comes from a mission that is genuine, and people understand what we’re trying to do because we wear it on our sleeves.”

Though Reis grew up in California and has always felt a deep kinship to Mexican culture, he acknowledges the complexity of advocating for traditions that aren’t his. “I want to support the Mexican population here; that is one of my main goals,” says Reis. Through working with independent producers and amplifying their stories, Reis seeks out elements of Mexican culture that have not been integrated into, or have been misrepresented in, the Americanized mainstream.

“One thing that I love is that we did get a lot of attention from the Mexican bar scene,” says Reis. “It really meant a lot to me when these bars were propping us up when they had the opportunity, because they felt seen. And they felt proud looking at how they were being represented in another country. That, to me, really stood out.”

Reis also hosts free monthly classes on mezcal and other traditional beverages for both consumers and bartenders to help the cocktail world connect with these spirits. At each of his classes, he reminds attendees that the U.S. — particularly Southern California — is the No. 1 consumer of agave spirits in the world. “[By carrying these spirits], you’re gonna be able to make a simple decision that echoes down to a family in a very direct way,” he says. That’s real purchasing power. 

Agave spirits were one of Reis’ passions long before Mírate. And over the last decade, he’s witnessed immense growth and interest for the category unfolding alongside his meteoric career. “I’ve gotten very lucky, because mezcal was not big [in the U.S.] when I started working with it,” he says. “I hope that I’ve aided in that boom.”

Food & Wine’s Drinks Visionaries program showcases the people who have changed how we drink, from bartenders and restaurant owners to distillers, winemakers, and beyond. Discover the rest of 2025’s honorees here.