If you’ve ever wished you could sip cocktails from the world’s best international bars without boarding a flight, 2025 was the year your wish would’ve been delivered in full measure. In the last year, India’s bar scene has been buzzing with an unprecedented wave of international takeovers where globally acclaimed bartenders step behind local counters to shake, stir, and serve their signature cocktails to an audience that’s never been more curious, informed, and enthusiastic.
What began as a niche industry exchange between bartenders has rapidly evolved into a full-blown cultural movement. Today’s bar takeovers are premium, ticketed experiences driven as much by consumer demand as by creative collaboration. India’s drinkers are shaping which bars come to town, which experiences sell out and, in many ways, how the country’s cocktail culture evolves, thanks to their discerning palates, travelfuelled curiosity, and Instagram powered inspiration.
As Pawan Shahri, co-founder of Chrome Hospitality that runs Late Checkout in Mumbai and who has hosted several collaborations recently, says, “Bar takeovers are all about cultural exchange. It’s about like-minded people in the bar industry doing fun stuff together.”
The shift isn’t limited to bars. Consumers’ tastes have also changed dramatically. When Rakshay Dhariwal opened India’s first cocktail bar, PCO, 13 years ago, in Delhi, drinkers mostly stuck to beers and straight pours. He calls the transformation that is happening now “fascinating to watch”. “The new generation is drinking without any hangups. They’re mindful of their drinking habits and want to know what’s in their cocktail,” he says.
For bar owners, the takeover format is a direct window into global drinking trends. “Getting to know what a bar is doing in another region or another country and understanding their concept and drinks is what takeovers are all about,” says Minakshi Singh, co-founder of The Brook, Gurugram, and Sidecar, New Delhi. Singh adds that consumers are willing to pay when they see value. “If the bartender is unique, like Hiroyasu Kayama from Japan’s Bar BenFiddich, who we hosted at Sidecar in 2022, and the cocktails are interesting, consumers have no problem paying top dollar,” she says, recalling how Kayama insisted on making each drink himself.
Returning international bars, especially those that have a local fan base, often sell out instantly. The Late Checkout team witnessed this when tickets for world-renowned Barcelona bar Paradiso’s takeover disappeared within 24 hours.
But the concept of bar takeovers isn’t new. They’ve been happening for over a decade. Pankaj Balachandran, co-founder of Goa’s Boilermaker and spirits consultancy Countertop, remembers hosting similar events when Perch opened in Delhi more than 10 years ago.
But he agrees the landscape has transformed. “Most bar nights I’ve seen are sold out,” he notes. “If you’re a consumer in Goa or Delhi and you get excited that Paradiso is coming down and book your seats in advance that means you are a mature customer.”
Bars are also listening closely. “If guests tell us they went to Bangkok and loved a bar called Opium, we bring the bar down, because there’s already a customer base waiting,” he adds. The exclusivity of debuts from international bars such as Jakarta’s Cosmo Pony, Shanghai’s Sober Company, and Mexico City’s Form + Matter, paired with a rise in intercity pop-ups, has pushed the trend to new heights.
Form + Matter’s three-city tour across Kolkata’s 2:Fifty9, Goa’s Hideaway, and Mumbai’s House of Paloma showcased cocktails featuring ingredients like Palo Cortado, a rare sherry, and habanero salt. Scarlett House in Mumbai hosted Argentina’s Tres Monos, crowned South America’s Best Bar 2025, while Paradiso’s takeover featured founder Giacomo Giannotti himself mixing the Barcelona bar’s signature drinks.
It’s easy to see why patrons are embracing these experiences. They get to try signature cocktails without paying for a flight, often at a fraction of the cost. Dhariwal estimates that more than 80 per cent of the crowd at takeovers comprises regular patrons of the home bar seeking something new, while the rest arrive because they already know the guest bar through social media or travel.
The cocktail-drinking base has grown significantly across tier-2 cities as well. Pune, Jaipur, and Goa host regular guest shifts. From first-timers like Yazu Mumbai and Atelier V in Indore to regulars like Mumbai’s Bandra Born, Lair in New Delhi, Boilermaker, and five-star stalwarts Eau Bar at The Oberoi, Mumbai, Yàn Yan at The RitzCarlton, Bangalore, and Bar 2:Fifty9 at JW Marriott Kolkata, everyone has joined the takeover wave.
Sommelier Nikhil Agarwal, who runs All Things Nice, a company that offers specialised consultancy services for the wine and spirits industry, counts himself as a cocktail convert. “I was never into cocktails until I stumbled into Lair one night and ended up drinking their entire menu,” he laughs. For him, takeovers are about more than tasting new drinks. “They’re about someone’s creativity. We had Argentina’s Florería Atlántico at Muro in Bengaluru, in September. Their drinks highlight human geography by using ingredients native to their country. I hadn’t realised bartenders look at their creations the way chefs do,” says Agarwal.
Indian bars are also pushing boundaries. The Brook brought a limited-edition foraging menu from Ladakh’s Tsas by Dolkhar to Mumbai, flying in ingredients including sea buckthorn, apricots, yak cheese, and wild horsemint. The sold-out event demonstrated what defines a successful takeover: letting guests taste the unfamiliar without leaving home. And the momentum isn’t slowing. Bars across India are expanding their takeover calendars. Tier-2 cities continue to level up. For its first anniversary in October 2025, Boilermaker, guest-hosted bars from Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, and Sri Lanka. Late Checkout has plans to travel to 20 cities with their cocktails in 2026. There’s never been a better time to drink cocktails from around the world seated at your favourite local barstool.