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It’s not everyday that you waltz into a bar, flip through the cocktail menu, only to be greeted by David Foster Wallace, Toni Morrison and Anthony Horowitz. But then again, the Library Bar at the Leela Palace isn’t an everyday bar. Fashioned along the lines of a gentleman’s bar from yore, complete with dim lighting, plush leather chairs, shiny teak tables and a marble bartop that spans the length of the space, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve gone back in time when you step in here – this the kind of bar where mysterious men in suits discuss hush-hush deals, where you’d be likely to bump into a certain Mr. Bond sipping on a shaken vodka martini.
True to its name, there’s shelves lined with leatherbound first editions of rare books, a selection of cigars, teardrop chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling and one of the finest collections of liquors from around the world. Their new cocktail menu’s inspired by the works of literary greats, each drink paying homage to an iconic novel and intending to capture the spirit of the title (pun intended). This menu is proffered in the form of a bookmark sitting amid one of the many books whose titles lend their names to the list of cocktails!
The drinks at The Library Bar
There’s ‘Agony and Ecstasy’, named after the Irving Stone classic about the life of Michelangelo – tequila with a lychee distillate and cordial, balanced by fresh lime and a saffron-habanero tincture, served with a mango-chilli foam atop it, or ‘Infinite Jest’ after the work of David Foster Wallace, with pandan vodka and clarified milk coming together with a coconut elixir and fresh pineapple.
‘Kon-Tiki’ takes you straight to the sandy white beaches of the Caribbean, with aged rum, pineapple and passionfruit meeting metaxa brandy and falernum, or get ‘Cosmos’, inspired in equal parts by Carl Sagan and Bangkok's Bar Sathorn, where dill-infused gin, tequila and mastiha jostle with tomato water and elderflower, and the ice is replaced by a frozen tomato!
Be sure to end your night with Beloved, an ode to Toni Morrison in the form of a wondrous mélange of gin, sake and mezcal with a rhubarb distillate, served with a parmesan cracker atop it.
With each drink telling a story of its own, the Library Bar really comes into its own as a destination for those looking for a refined drinking experience in the city. And given the competitive rates which are at par with standalone bars, don’t be surprised if this just might become the most well attended library in town!
The vibe: Dark, elegant, expensive
The drinks: Expertly made, modelled after books and authors
The food: Don't expect chakhna and elaborate bar snacks apart from perhaps some oysters and other nibbles