ZLB23 at The Leela Palace Bengaluru Unveils The Theatre, a Singular Cocktail SpaceWhere Mixology Becomes Performance

An intimate, 11-seat experience at the award-winning Kyoto-style speakeasy ZLB23,

that transforms cocktails into cinema, storytelling, and sensory theatre

Bengaluru, January 2026: At the heart of ZLB23, the award-winning Kyoto-style speakeasy at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, a new experience is set to take shape. The Theatre is a cinematic mixology experience where cocktails move beyond craft and into performance. Conceived as a live, performance-led space, it transforms the bar into a stage, illuminating each drink through narrative, artistry, and sensory immersion. Designed as a natural yet radical extension of ZLB23’s globally recognised philosophy, The Theatre introduces a format that is entirely singular within India’s bar landscape.

Since its inception, ZLB23 has established itself as one of the country’s most influential bars, known for immersive storytelling, meticulous craftsmanship, and a cocktail programme that draws deeply from the East. With global recognition including a ranking of #31 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025, #7 on India’s 30 Best Bars, and the title of Best Bar in India 2024, ZLB23 has consistently redefined how cocktail culture is experienced. The Theatre builds on this legacy, distilling its ethos into a focused, deliberate, and deeply immersive space.

The Theatre is an 11-seater cocktail room within ZLB23, designed to function like a live performance. Inspired by cinema and stagecraft, the experience unfolds in structured acts, with each cocktail introduced as a character within a larger narrative. Guests are seated close to the bar, heightening intimacy and focus, and allowing every gesture, technique, sound cue, and pour to be felt with intention. Here, the bartender becomes a storyteller, the cocktail becomes a character, and the guest becomes part of the unfolding scene.

“ZLB23 has always been rooted in storytelling and precision,” says [NAME PLACEHOLDER], [DESIGNATION PLACEHOLDER]. “With The Theatre, we wanted to create a space that treats mixology as a performing art. It is crafted to be immersive, intimate, and intentional, where every element is designed to be experienced rather than simply observed.”

Every aspect of The Theatre is deliberately choreographed to support a multi-sensorial journey. Sound, lighting, service rituals, and pacing are calibrated to mirror the rhythm of a staged performance. There is no conventional menu-led ordering. Instead, the experience unfolds as a guided narrative, where anticipation builds, tension deepens, and resolution arrives with purpose. The environment is tightly controlled, ensuring that every creation is designed to be witnessed before it is savoured, elevating the cocktail from something you taste to something you experience.

At the core of The Theatre is a cocktail menu structured like a cinematic production, revealed one act at a time. Guided by the palate’s natural sequence, each experience unfolds from bitter to sour, savoury to sweet, revealing how flavour opens, builds, deepens, and ultimately resolves. Each act draws from a specific cultural or historical moment, reinterpreted throughZLB23’s Kyoto-informed lens, reinforcing the duality between discipline and instinct that defines the space.

Act I: Aperitivo | The Invitation to Begin

The opening act introduces bitterness as a gesture of welcome rather than confrontation. Drawing from the aperitivo traditions of 19th-century Milan and the origins of the Milano-Torino, this act awakens the palate with quiet authority. Japanese whisky lends restraint, strawberry softens intensity, makrut lime vermouth adds aromatic lift, and effervescence brings clarity. It is the curtain parting, setting the tone for the performance to follow.

Act II: Daisy Style | The Spark of Awakening

The second act shifts into brightness and energy, inspired by Daisy-style cocktails that emerged along the Mexico–United States border in the early 20th century. Layered citrus juices, agave, restrained mezcal smoke, and citrus ice sharpen the senses, introducing acidity as momentum. The palate is no longer passive, but alert and engaged.

Act III: Red Snapper | Depth Through Restraint

Salt and savoury elements anchor the third act, inspired by the evolution of the Red Snapper in 1920s Paris and New York. Gin provides structure and clarity, while tomato water, celery, spice, and a fine mist of salt air add depth without excess. This act introduces weight and authority, allowing flavour to resonate through restraint.

Act IV: Mary Pickford | The Gentle Close

The final act draws from Prohibition-era Havana and the elegance of classic Hollywood. Sweetness arrives as resolution rather than indulgence. Rum, pineapple, citrus, maraschino, and pomegranate come together in balance and composure, dissolving tension into a calm, lingering harmony.

“In The Theatre, cocktails are brought to life with distinct personalities,” says [NAME PLACEHOLDER], [DESIGNATION PLACEHOLDER]. “While the opening menu explores taste as a narrative, the space itself is designed to evolve. Menus will continue to change, with themes developing around technique, fermentation, and cultural storytelling, always aligned with the ZLB23 identity.”

Food plays a supporting yet playful role within the experience. Guests are offered light accompaniments such as popcorn and select small bites, reinforcing the theatrical context without distracting from the performance.

From a design standpoint, The Theatre is intentionally restrained. [DESIGN ELEMENTS PLACEHOLDER: materials, lighting language, spatial cues] are used with precision to heighten intimacy and focus, ensuring that nothing competes with the narrative unfolding at the bar.

With The Theatre, ZLB23 introduces a new dimension to cocktail culture in India. More than a bar within a bar, it is a cinematic, multi-sensorial performing art of mixology, crafted for the spotlight, served with a story, and revealed one act at a time.

Address: ZLB23, The Leela Palace, HAL 2nd Stage, Kodihalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008

About ZLB23 - A Kyoto Speakeasy Bar

Embark on an exclusive journey where secrets are revealed only to a select few. In Zia’s legendary garden lies an enigmatic hideaway, ZLB23. With its hidden entrance, glamorous vintage decor, and classic speakeasy style, you will feel time slow down as you slink back into the hazy shadows of the Prohibition era.

This award-winning Kyoto Speakeasy bar in Bengaluru is renowned for its highly curated cocktail programming, designed to bring you flavours from the East. Our expert mixologists have crafted each beverage to tease your palate with new, unusual flavours. Sip on the Kyoto Sunrise and pay homage to the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. Bite into the Hickory Smoked Duck to taste delicate flavours that pair perfectly with your drinks. Enjoy these gastronomical delights as jazz virtuosos from around the globe serenade you.

Zia’s mystery lives on at ZLB23. We invite you to unveil her secrets.

About The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts

Headquartered in Mumbai, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is owned by a Brookfield Asset Management-sponsored private real estate fund and operates eleven award-winning properties in major cities and leisure destinations across India. The Leela celebrates each hotel through its unique location, art, culture and cuisine with thoughtful services, celebratory rituals, and immersive experiences. The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts was voted the World's Best Hotel Brand twice in a row by Travel + Leisure, USA, World's Best Awards Survey, 2020 and 2021. An epitome of true Indian luxury hospitality, The Leela is committed to providing guests with unforgettable stays in settings that capture the essence of India.

For more information, please visit www.theleela.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.