Bangalore’s ZLB23 opens immersive cocktail space
ZLB23, the bar at the Leela Palace hotel in India’s Bangalore, has launched The Theatre, a seven-seat cocktail experience where mixology is staged as performance.
The space is said to be the ‘first of its kind’ in India, with guests welcomed to pass through red velvet drapes and sit close to the bar.
The experience unfolds in four acts, beginning with Act I: Aperitivo | The Invitation to Begin. The opening cocktail features Japanese whisky, strawberry, makrut lime vermouth and ‘effervescence’.
This is followed by Act II: Daisy Style | The Spark of Awakening, which features citrus, agave, restrained mezcal smoke and citrus ice.
Act III: Red Snapper | Depth Through Restraint is made with gin, tomato water, celery, spices and ‘salt air’.
The experience ends with Act IV: Mary Pickford | The Gentle Close. The cocktail blends rum, pineapple, citrus, maraschino and pomegranate.
The menu structure takes guests from bitter to salty to sour before finishing off with sweetness.
Guests can enjoy a performance as the cocktail is made, with lighting, sound and spatial cues enhancing the experience.
The Theatre’s launch coincides with the expansion of the bar’s Native menu, with six signature cocktails joining the list.
Southern Embre is a ‘bold, savoury’ cocktail inspired by rasam, a South Indian comfort food. The drink is made with Tequila, mezcal, tamarind, pineapple, curry salt, and coriander.
Other new cocktails include Harmony, made with Tequila, guava, guava leaf, and a spice blend, and Golden Caravan, featuring Six Brothers Mahura, saffron, black cardamom, nutmeg, and agave.
To celebrate the new cocktails, ZLB23 is hosting a month-long rotation of guest bartender takeovers. Visiting bartenders include Mark Lloyd of Wing Lei Bar in Macau, Lorenzo Querci of Moebius Milano and Samuel Kwok of The Opposites, in Hong Kong.
ZLB23 will also celebrate its third anniversary with an ‘exclusive’ party.
The venue ranked seventh on the 2025 edition of the 30 Best Bars India list.
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