Opened in late 2024, FO+MA – short for Form + Matter – quickly established itself as one of Mexico City’s most inventive drinking destinations. Founders José Olivas and David Rocha, along with restaurateur Po Tsai, set out to create a space where science and hospitality move in harmony. The result is a bar that feels as fluid and intentional as the cocktails themselves.

The atmosphere strikes a careful balance: casual yet exceptional, approachable yet exacting. Music drifts through the space with nostalgic hits spanning the ’70s to early 2000s, while each cocktail is subtly spotlit like a work of art. Guests are welcomed with warmth, guided but never rushed, and treated with a level of attention that makes the experience feel both personal and effortless.

Design is central to FOMA’s identity. Minimalist architecture, polished concrete, warm woods, and marble details create a room that feels grounded yet elevated. Behind the bar, purpose-built stations operate like open kitchen islands, each equipped with its own cold storage and ergonomic layout. This engineering – developed entirely in-house – ensures seamless service and bartender well-being. Guests are always part of the action, watching every step of their drink’s creation unfold.

The open lab reinforces this transparency, placing equipment like the rotovap, centrifuge, and sous vide at the heart of the room. Rather than hiding behind back-of-house doors, the team works in plain sight, turning technique into a point of connection. Drinks may involve clarified juices, fat-washed spirits, or distillates that isolate delicate flavours, but the emphasis is never on showmanship. Each process serves the guest, clarifying flavour and simplifying expression.

Menus change biannually, guided by global inspiration and categorised by flavour rather than spirit, allowing guests to choose according to mood rather than base. Non-alcoholic cocktails receive equal care, often built from in-house distilled zero-proof spirits that preserve bitterness and aroma. The boilermaker program, anchored by FO+MA’s own rice lager brewed in Querétaro, adds a playful note, encouraging exploration without pretension.

The team itself is at the heart of the bar’s ethos. Training extends beyond cocktail craft to include ballet-inspired movement, PR skills, English lessons, and leadership development, reflecting a genuine investment in growth and wellbeing. Staff are well supported—paid above the industry norm, limited to a legal 50-hour week, and encouraged to see their careers as long-term trajectories rather than temporary roles.

FO+MA’s sustainability ethos runs throughout, from sourcing seasonal produce from local farmers to transforming prep waste into creative snacks, all the way to recycling programs that support healthcare initiatives. Even details like filtered water and reusable towels in bathrooms demonstrate how fully the team considers impact.

In Roma Norte’s cocktail landscape, FO+MA distinguishes itself not through spectacle or exclusivity, but by merging craft, design, and care into a bar that is as thoughtful for its staff as it is for its guests. It is both a laboratory and a living room, where precision is always in service of connection.