Bengaluru: ZLB23, the award-winning Kyoto-style speakeasy at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, will host a one-night-only bar takeover by Shift Project, also known as Domashniy Dive Bar, from Kazakhstan, on Saturday, 26th September 2026. From 8 PM to 11 PM, bartenders Dmitry and Max will take over the bar with four signature cocktails that reflect their playful, experimental approach to mixology.
Shift Project is an international hospitality initiative and collective founded by Arina Nikolskaya in Kazakhstan. It brings together local bartenders and champions the region’s bar culture, as part of a growing movement connecting Central Asia’s emerging hospitality scene with the wider global industry.
At the helm are Dmitry and Max, who will be behind the bar at ZLB23 for the evening. They bring with them the spirit of “Weird Mixology,” the media project they created around the idea that great cocktails do not need expensive equipment or elaborate setups. It is about curiosity, experimentation and making the most of what is already behind the bar.
The takeover finds a fitting home at ZLB23. Tucked behind a hidden entrance within Zia’s garden, at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, ZLB23 has earned its place among Asia’s 50 Best Bars and was named Best Bar in India in 2024. Known for its Kyoto-inspired atmosphere and precise cocktail programming, it has become a natural address in India for collaborations of this kind.
For the evening, Dmitry and Max will present four cocktails created for the takeover. Mango-D’Or Blue Bloody Mary combines Absolut Elyx with D’Or Blue Cheese, peach liqueur and mango bloody mix, while Peach Punch brings together vodka, Greek yogurt, vanilla and peach water. Beetroot Paper Plane takes Chivas Regal 12 Y.O. through homemade beetroot shrub, Italian bitter, light amaro and citrus, while Cuppa Tea pairs tea-infused Malfy Gin with tea cordial, Tashkent lemon and soda. Each cocktail is priced at INR 1,600 and will be served à la carte, with ZLB23’s regular menu also available throughout the evening.
For one night, ZLB23 becomes a meeting point between Bengaluru and Kazakhstan, bringing together two different perspectives on what a modern bar can be. The cocktails are the starting point; the rest is left to curiosity.