Lounge
Why ZLB23 is the best bar in India
Summary
Last week, the Bengaluru-based speakeasy was voted as the best bar in India by Asia's 50 Best Bars. There's a cocktail of reasons for their win
In the initial days of brainstorming, the seed of an idea was to start a bar and lounge, says Suchismita Roychoudhury, the bar manager of Bengaluru’s ZLB23. Last week, it was voted as the best bar in India by the award platform Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024. Their early vision transformed into something completely new: a Kyoto-style speakeasy with a hidden entrance through a restaurant kitchen at the luxury hotel, The Leela Palace. It’s a bit dramatic, but it’s part of the many reasons that makes them a winner.
There are a few names from India, like Sidecar, The Bombay Canteen and Home, that repeatedly feature on Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Last year, Sidecar was voted as the best bar in India; and this year its co-founder, the inimitable Yangdup Lama, received the prestigious Roku Icon Award that honours a pioneer in the bartending industry. But, ZLB23’s recognition has another angle: It is the first hotel bar in India to be named the best in the country.
Also read: The evolution of tea bags
“I honestly believe it helped change the cocktail game not just for Bengaluru, but also for hotel bars in India. Their launch with fairly eye-popping prices for cocktails ( ₹1400 plus taxes for a drink) raised a fair share of eyebrows and naysayers who felt that it was too expensive for Bengaluru, but in all my visits, I’ve never seen it empty. From a hotel bar’s perspective, their arrival on the scene, has suddenly got general managers of hotels across the country to start focusing on their bar programs, that is only good news for their hotels and for drinking culture in India," notes Vikram Achanta, co-founder of the homegrown award platform 30 Best Bars India. In Mumbai, the rooftop bar Aer in Four Season’s has been revamped with vigour, and in Delhi, the bar Rick’s at The Taj Mahal was relaunched last year.
ZLB23 opened in February 2023 under the leadership of Madhav Sehgal who was the general manager and vice president of The Leela Palace then. His aim was to build a ‘great and India-first venue’ for drinks, food and music to incorporate Bengaluru’s penchant for live gigs in bars. Being at the Leela worked to their advantage, because they have the resources to invite and host some of the world’s top names. There were buzzy takeovers with bars like Handshake from Mexico, Paradiso from Spain and Himkok from Oslo. Incidentally, all of them have ranked among the top ten on the World’s 50 Best bars list in recent years. Also, they organised takeovers by renowned Indian bars like Hoots, Home and Sidecar. Strategic takeovers get the industry talking and help a place get noticed.
To build a great bar, Sehgal highlights three buckets: the beverage programme, service and ambience. They are a Kyoto-style speakeasy, and their cocktails draw heavily from the Prohibition era and is shaped by Japanese influence. They have drinks like Tokyo Bees Knees made with premium Japanese Roku gin, Japanese Old Fashioned with sugar from Okinawa and a highball named Kyoto Autumn with a housemade soda of pink guava, passion fruit and peach. “The beverages don’t exist in isolation. We have an ice and glass program to complete the experience," says Sehgal. Their glassware flecked with vintage charm is imported from UK brand Urban Bar. Their live music line-up has four resident bands and they hosted musical talent from different corners of the country, like the fusion folk group Rajasthan Roots. Apart from the music programming, the attention to ‘create an ambience’ is evident in the luxurious velvet-upholstered seating and opulent chandeliers. Last year, ZLB23 won the Best Bar Design award at 30 Best Bars. Achanta puts it succinctly: “They invested heavily on their concept, their design, their bar program, live acts and of course a revolving series of international high profile takeovers and it all paid off."
