India, April 11 -- Secret doors, tiny counters, front-row seats to a bartender in their element-India's newest night-out secret (which isn't all that much of a secret) has all that and more. At these smaller, experimental bars tucked within some of the country's buzziest bars, cocktails are crafted to tell tales, staff always have a trick or two up their sleeves, and some evenings feel closer to theatre than happy hour. From seaside spots to omakase-style spaces, here are the most happening spots to grab a drink.

A few years ago, ordering a cocktail in India usually meant picking between a safe classic (Margarita, Old Fashioned, the drill) or whatever vaguely tropical or somewhat festive concoction the bar was pushing that night. Fast f...