Six exceptional venues and India’s pioneering colour-changing gin raise a glass on May 13th
Bengaluru, May 2026: This World Cocktail Day, the city’s most exciting restaurants and bars come together to celebrate the art of the cocktail in all its glory. From Pan-Asian-inspired clarified serves and South Indian-flavoured highballs to Mediterranean craft pours, hyperlocal gastropub signatures and India’s first colour-changing gin, Bangalore’s cocktail scene has never been more compelling.
Whether you’re sipping on umami-laced whisky, a Goan smoke-and-fire mezcal, a vetiver-kissed gin or watching a spirit transform colour before your eyes, this is the city’s most flavour-forward World Cocktail Day yet. Here’s where to go, and what to order.
YAZU BANGALORE
A Journey Across Asia, One Cocktail at a Time
Founded by Ranbir Nagpal and Atul Chopra, Yazu is a premium Pan-Asian dining and lifestyle destination that redefines Asian cuisine through authenticity, innovation and immersive storytelling. With locations across Mumbai, Goa, Indore, Chandigarh and Bangalore, Yazu’s cocktail menu is a passport — each drink inspired by a different Asian country, crafted through techniques like fat-washing, clarification and house fermentation.
Cocktails to Celebrate With this World Cocktail Day:
Tomm Yummm
Thailand’s most iconic broth — Tom Yum — reimagined as a clarified gin cocktail. Tangy, umami and hauntingly aromatic.
Tanqueray Gin • Tom Yum Spiced Broth • Lime Leaf • Lemongrass • Galangal • Kaffir
Pickle in my Tickle
An Indo-Korea fusion highball inspired by the kimchi fermentation process. Clarified pickled raw mango meets ginger seltzer, tangy, smoky and deeply flavour-forward.
Tanqueray Gin • Don Julio Blanco • Clarified Pickled Raw Mango Batch • Ginger Seltzer
La Laos
Inspired by the Laotian Jeow Mak Len (tomato chilli dip), this charred-and-clarified cocktail is spicy, smoky and unapologetically bold.
Don Julio Reposado Tequila • Creyente Mezcal • Clarified Jeow Mak Len (Cherry Tomato, Cilantro, Jalápeño, Garlic, Shallots) • Clear Tomato Water • Citric
Umami Cloud
China’s mushroom and umami culture distilled into a spirit-forward Old Fashioned riff. Shiitake-coffee fat-washed whisky, crowned with a miso foam, indulgent, layered and unlike anything else.
Jim Beam Whiskey • Shiitake-Coffee Fat-Washed • Demerara • Chocolate & Orange Bitters • Miso Foam
Reverse Brew
Vietnamese coffee culture, reimagined. A Mezcal-clarified cold brew layered with coconut condensed milk foam, smoky, bittersweet and utterly addictive.
Creyente Mezcal • Clarified Vietnamese Cold Brew • Coffee Liquéur • Campari • Coconut Condensed Milk Foam
KICO BANGALORE
The Community Pour, Drinks Defined By The People
A lifestyle-driven social space rooted in streetwear sensibility and community-first thinking, KICO is where coffee, cocktails, music and creative expression collide. Part of the Yazu Hospitality Group, KICO’s cocktail program is built on one bold philosophy: there’s no single way to drink, only YOUR way. Because here, drinks don’t define the people, the people define the drinks.
Cocktails to Celebrate With this World Cocktail Day:
Stealth Mode
Floral smoke with coffee and citrus lift, finished with quiet spiced bubbles. A serve that arrives quietly but leaves a lasting impression.
Creyente Mezcal • Lavender & Citrus Cold Brew • Maraschino Cherry • Elderflower • Ginger Fizz
Goan Signal
Savoury Goan smoke, pepper heat and bold coastal spice, the boldest pour on the menu, for those who walk in like they own the room.
Chorizo-Washed Creyente Mezcal • Don Julio Blanco Tequila • Bellpepper • Jalápeño • Agave • Citrus
Paradise With Issues
Silky coconut gin wrapped in herbal bitterness and pandan depth. Beautiful on the surface, complex underneath.
Coconut-Washed Tanqueray London Dry Gin • Campari • Pandan
Matcha Madi
Green, citrus-bright and softly tropical with a calm umami finish. The sessionable sip that earns its place on any cocktail day table.
Six Brothers Mahura • Yuzu Puree • Lychee • Coconut Seltzer • Matcha Float
Punarpuli Fizz
South Indian flavours in a glass, tamarind sharpness, curry leaf aroma, ginger warmth and citrus freshness with a soft honeyed foam. The standout zero-proof pour of the evening.
Non-alcoholic • Tamarind • Curry Leaf • Ginger • Citrus • Honey Foam
OLIVE BEACH BENGALURU
Award-Winning Mediterranean Craft Cocktails Under the Stars
Since 2005, Olive Beach has been Bengaluru’s most beloved Mediterranean sanctuary, a stunning alfresco venue set within an elegant old villa. Part of AD Singh’s acclaimed Olive Group and helmed by Mixologist of the Year 2022, Harish Chhimwal, the bar program celebrates handcrafted cocktails and house infusions inspired by creativity and sustainability.
Cocktails to Celebrate With this World Cocktail Day:
Bombay Orange
The intense earthy fragrance of vetiver meets fresh celery gin and blood orange, a citrus grown in the Mediterranean tradition of Spain and Italy, finished with smoked paprika and sea salt. Elemental and unexpected.
Vetiver & Celery Gin • Blood Orange • Smoked Paprika • Sea Salt
Bloody Mary-Ann
A carefree take on the classic Bloody Mary, vodka, clarified tomato water and habanero chilli shrub, finished with carbonated water. A fabulous savoury profile for the adventurous sipper.
Vodka • Clarified Tomato Water • Habanero Chilli Shrub • Carbonated Water
Jack Sour
An Olive twist on the classic whisky sour, popcorn-infused Jack Daniel’s, lime, sugar and vegan foam, garnished with a Parmesan-bourbon cheese perfume. Playful, indulgent and deeply satisfying.
Popcorn-Infused Jack Daniel’s Whisky • Lime • Sugar • Vegan Foam • Parmesan Bourbon Cheese Perfume
Truffle Martini
A classic martini reimagined with the depth of black truffle. Smooth gin layered with subtle truffle essence, savoury, velvety and mysteriously indulgent.
Gin • Black Truffle Essence • Vermouth
Cha Do
Tea of the month brewed into a cordial with gin, a delightful and sophisticated blend that is traditional and contemporary all at once. The perfect way to close the evening.
Gin • House Seasonal Tea Cordial
MONKEY BAR BANGALORE
India’s Original urban hangout, Reinvented for a New Generation
India’s urban hangout brand by Olive Bar and Kitchen Pvt. Ltd., Monkey Bar has been redefining the urban dining and nightlife scene since 2012. In its bold new avatar, Monkey Bar is reintroducing the gastropub to a new generation, elevated, vibrant and as irreverent as ever.
Cocktails to Celebrate With this World Cocktail Day:
Down & Dirty
Indian gooseberry in a pickle, quite literally. Gin, chardonnay, lime, amla brine and sugar come together to create this brilliantly dirty number. A Monkey Bar signature through and through.
Gin • Chardonnay • Lime • Amla Brine • Sugar
Church Street Corner
Peru, salt and chilli is everyone’s favourite childhood snack. Now in adult form, tequila, pink guava, bird eye chilli, agave and citric. The menu’s undisputed hot seller.
Tequila • Pink Guava • Bird Eye Chilli • Agave • Citric
The Monkey Queen
Who knew the Queen of Pineapples grew in Assam? Queen pineapple and vanilla cordial from Meghalaya’s Garo Hills come together with lime, elderflower and soda, a spritz that celebrates the East.
Queen Pineapple • Vanilla Cordial (Meghalaya Garo Hills) • Lime • Elderflower • Soda
Gawking Gibson
A riff on the classic Gibson martini, gin, amrakh brine, vermouth and citric. Clean, savoury and unapologetically spirit-forward.
Gin • Amrakh Brine • Vermouth • Citric
Hey Daisy
Fashioned on the 1800s Daisy cocktail, this twist showcases tequila with Madurai tamarind, lime, agave and kaffir. India meets the classic in one glass.
Tequila • Madurai Tamarind • Lime • Agave • Kaffir
Foo
Foo is back with its most addictive annual drop – The Fiery Edit 2026, and this year, it’s all about knowing exactly how much heat is just enough. Titled “Dial Up The Heat”, the new edition isn’t about overwhelming spice, it’s about rhythm, balance, and that slow, lingering burn that keeps you coming back for more.
At FOO, heat isn’t just about intensity, it’s about control. This year’s menu is designed as a progression: subtle warmth that builds bite after bite, creating a rhythm that keeps diners coming back.
This year’s menu plays with progression:first bite, you’re in… second bite, it builds… third bite, you’re hooked. It’s a carefully dialled journey where flavours unfold in layers, moving from subtle warmth to bold intensity without ever tipping over.
The cocktail program mirrors the menu’s layered approach, clearly balancing spirit, flavour, and heat.
The Sizzling Sip
Blends tequila with mango jalapeño cordial and pandan soda for a tropical-spicy profile.
Gunpowder Glow
Combines gin with gunpowder tea cordial, lime, and rose water for a more aromatic heat.
Electric Ember
Uses whiskey with an Italian bitter aperitif, yuzu cordial, and pineapple mogo mogo tea for a smoky-citrus complexity.
Slow Burn Blush
Features vodka with muskmelon purée, peach, basil, and plum vanilla foam for a softer, fruit-forward finish.
NISAKI GIN — India’s Colour-Changing Spirit
‘Every Shade of You’ • Love Every Hue
No World Cocktail Day is complete without the most visually arresting spirit to emerge from India. Nisaki, India’s pioneering colour-changing gin, is distilled in Goa by Project Peacock, the brainchild of founders Sanchit Agarwal, Nidhi Kedia and Akhilesh Rajan. Hand-crafted in small batches with 16 organic botanicals in a copper pot still, the triple-distilled, rice-based spirit changes colour as you mix, making every drink a personalised, chromatic spectacle.
The Portfolio, What to Pour this World Cocktail Day:
Nisaki Dry Gin — The Original
Distinctly floral and smooth. Nose: citrus peel, rose petals, lavender. Palate: citrus burst, coriander, Earl Grey sweetness, warm spices. Finish: long ginger and cinnamon spice with earthy warmth. Best served as a colour-changing G&T.
16 Organic Botanicals • Triple-Distilled • Rice-Based Spirit • 40% ABV • 750ml
Nisaki Expressions SA01 — Passionfruit
A Maker’s Edition tribute to the founders’ creativity. Exotic and tangy on the nose; juicy sweet-tart on the palate with structured botanicals; long tropical sweetness and a clean fade on the finish.
Colour-Changing Passionfruit Gin • 40% ABV • Limited Edition
Nisaki Expressions SA02 — Lychee Pink Peppercorn
A sweet-spicy symphony where lychee, rose and lavender meet the delicate spark of pink peppercorn. Smooth and juicy on the palate, finishing warm with lingering fruit and soft spice.
Colour-Changing Lychee Peppercorn Gin • 40% ABV • Limited Edition
Nisaki Pinkanté — Small Batch Gin Picante (RTD)
India’s first gin-based Picante, blushing in a vibrant pink hue. Jalapeño, coriander and ripe pineapple on the nose; sweet-sour brightness on the palate; lingering jalapeño heat and coriander trail on the finish. Pour, chill and sip.
Ready-to-Drink • 35% ABV • 750ml
The Nisaki G&T — The Colour-Changing Serve
The signature World Cocktail Day serve: Nisaki Dry Gin over ice, topped with premium tonic. Watch the spirit shift through its chromatic spectrum as you pour — every shade a different expression of you.
Nisaki Dry Gin • Premium Tonic • Ice • Garnish of choice
How to Celebrate World Cocktail Day 2026 in Bangalore
- Head to Yazu for Pan-Asian cocktails that double as edible postcards, every sip tells the story of a different country.
- Drop by KICO for cocktails built around your mood, from gentle umami matcha floats to full Goan mezcal fire.
- Toast under the stars at Olive Beach with a Truffle Martini or a Bloody Mary-Ann, award-winning craft in a stunning alfresco setting.
- Raise a glass at Monkey Bar, hyperlocal, irreverent and as flavour-forward as ever in its bold new avatar.
- Pour a Nisaki G&T at home and watch it change colour, because the most magical cocktail might just be the one you make yourself.
