At The Jail Lounge in Mumbai, guests can opt for private dining rooms that look like prison cells while the waiters who serve them are dressed as prisoners

The glass was made of ice and tiny balls of heat coursed their way down my throat as I quaffed a fiery shot of nutmeg and strawberry- infused vodka. There I stood, snug as a bug, muffled in a thermal parka and moon boots at the Ice Bar in Delhi where the temperature remains sub-zero — veering between minus 7°C and minus 10°C.

The igloo-like Ice Bar was awash with purple, icy blue and crimson as the interiors changed colours by the minute in a play of clever psychedelic lighting. As in a dream or a fairy tale, I wondered if the pale Snow Queen of the palace-carved-out-of-ice-fame might swish in any moment.

But the spell was broken as Kanav Chadda, one of the owners of the Ice Bar pointed to the temperature scale on the ceiling that held steady at minus 7°C. “It never goes above minus 5°C,” he said.

The Ice Bar is the new Mecca for tipplers bored with the lounge bar/pub routine — and they are undaunted by the steep Rs 1,000 cover charge.

Theme bars are the newest attraction for jaded party-goers always seeking out new thrills.

From psychedelic interiors to animal-print furnishings, The Zoo is for party animals Pix: Rupinder Sharma

Cut to The Zoo in the quiet environs of The Garden of Five Senses in Delhi that throws its doors open only at night. While the entrance is overrun by tall, dry grass that makes it look like a jungle hideout, animal-inspired prints adorn one wall inside. The atmosphere screams psychedelic trance, with red being the dominant colour.

The women behind The Zoo, models Sapna Kumar and Michelle Innes, sit serenely on a garden bench surveying the revellers letting down their hair. “The theme just emphasises that our guests are regular party animals,” says Kumar with a smile.

Ask bar consultant Irfan Ahmed what the measure of a quality theme bar is and he says: “It’s a destination hub with thematic lighting for the desired effect. Ideally, the space should be small or the overheads shoot up.”

Mumbai’s ice bar, 21 Fahrenheit, turns on the heat by serving exotic dishes on lava rocks

If it’s themes you want, it’s themes you will get. And yes, they get from wacky to wackier. So, you can chill out in sub-zero temperatures at ice bars, pretend you are on vacation at The Beach in Bangalore, or experience what it would be like to do time in prison by booking a table at The Jail Lounge in Mumbai. Just name your poison.

Dressing up the space is obviously crucial to a theme. Enter The Jail Lounge where behind steel bars you share space with hand-painted pictures of legendary criminals from Hindi films including Gabbar Singh (Sholay), Shakaal (Shaan), Don (Don) and Mogambo (Mr India). There’s also Phoolan Devi, the terror of the Chambal who achieved screen immortality in Bandit Queen.

At The Beach, a bar and lounge in Bangalore expect an open air sitting area, much sand, floppy hat toting waiters, stools made from coconut tree stumps and drinks often served in tender coconut shells — all setting the tone for a coastal feel.

“The Beach — Be Yourself, the tag-line says it all. You can come dressed even in shorts. There are no stringent rules in place,” says co-owner Khanindra Barman. The theme quite naturally finds its way into the menu as well which is all about Konkan specialities.

If a tigress and her cubs guard the entrance of Delhi’s Ice Bar, it has ice sculptures of peacocks flanking the bar that’s equipped with ice glasses to serve drinks; (above) Indi is a filmy bar that blazes with Bollywood posters and serves drinks that are Bollywood-inspired Pix: Rupinder Sharma

Another theme bar in Bangalore, the newly opened Indi on Magrath Road, is wholly dedicated to Indian cinema. Feeling the lack of a Bollywood themed bar in the hi-tech city, the owners, Ashish Kothare and Ashok Karanth, opened the bar that as can be expected belts out some hip-swinging Bollywood numbers. These are played out on a 6-in plasma screen as well as a 42-in LCD panel with complete sound solution from Martin Audio of London, says Kothare.

The drinks at Indi are Bollywood themed as well. Try Aag which is a Flaming Lamborghini served in glasses that are for effect stacked nearly 2ft high and flamed, or go for Chalte Chalte, a paan-flavoured vodka concoction.

The menu is heavy on street food and includes starters such as Fish Koliwada from Sion in Mumbai, Dabba Gosht from Amritsar, Galauti Kebabs from Lucknow and chops from the streets of Calcutta.

Kothare is not new to the game. His other interest is his pub called Legends of Rock in Koramangala, also in Bangalore, that focuses on classic rock. This one is done up with huge prints of rock legends while the lighting is kept dim.

And when you want to beat the Indian summer there are the happening ice bars that are now doing brisk business — two in Delhi and another in Mumbai.

Classic rock stars have inspired the theme at Legends of Rock in Bangalore

You can stay inside these ice bars for as long as you like once you have slipped into the thinsulated (thermal) capes provided to guests. However, Delhi’s Ice Bar — built with 35 tonnes of ice imported from Canada –– doesn’t allow guests to stay longer than 40 minutes.

The Ice Bar in Delhi is cutting-edge in terms of the design element. It’s ‘furnished’ with ice sculptures by famed ice designer, Julian Bayley of Ice Culture, the world’s pre-eminent builder of frozen palaces. Ice peacocks flank the bar and an ice tigress and her cubs guard the entrance while a sari-clad ice maiden greets you with an icy namaste.

Even the drinks come in ice glasses, which the bartender plunks down on a bar chiselled out of clear ice blocks. However, no food is served at Ice Bar.

Freeze, is Delhi’s second ice bar located in West Gate Mall in Rajouri Garden. It has been sculpted on site by a team of specialist sculptors from Ice Box of UK. Their speciality is that they serve frost platters of piping hot sizzlers.

Mumbai’s singles’ bar, Elbo Room, is the first of its kind in the country where guests are expected to share elbow room with strangers; (above) The Z Lounge in Calcutta might be Zevar the Jewellery Lounge by day but on Friday and Saturday nights it transforms into a wine-and-cheese lounge Pix: Gajanan Dudhalkar

You’ll get hot food at Mumbai’s 21 Fahrenheit as well, served straight off lava rocks. “The temperature here is constant at minus 6°C which converts to 21°Fahrenheit,” says Aalok Purohit, one of the partners of the bar. Launched in 2009 on the Oshiwara-Link Road, the cover charge here is Rs 1,500 on the weekend but on a weekday you can pay Rs 1,250 and avail of five drinks or opt for a meal instead.

What works for each of these bars is the element of surprise that greets you. Some rely on extreme interiors to stun their guests.

Take a cue from Calcutta restaurateur Rahul Roy (of the Amoda Spa Bar fame) who has launched the Z Lounge bang in the middle of the city on the posh Camac Street. If Z Lounge is Zevar the Jewellery Lounge by day, it transforms into a wine-and-cheese lounge by the witch hour.

Mumbai has its singles’ bar called Elbo Room that’s tucked away in Bandra. If co-owners Nicolo Morea (restaurateur brother of actor Dino Morea) and Ravi Sharma call it elbow room, they mean it. For, the place is a tight squeeze at a mere 500sqft.

“The matchbox-size makes sure that you are knocking elbows with the next person. So, we would like you to come as a single, have a drink and mingle,” says Sharma. The interiors have smart aesthetics with the walls covered with prints of posters by poster artists Henry Le Monnier and Leonetto Cappiello. Pints of beer and plates of crisp Fish Orly are hot favourites.

The Jail Lounge in Mumbai’s Andheri West meanwhile converts guests into gawking, camera happy tourists as they take in the bar’s décor. The jail theme is overt. The captain — dressed aptly as a policeman in uniform — leads them to their tables while waiters are outfitted in prisoners’ clothes.

The five private dining rooms in the lounge are akin to cells with each dedicated to a Bollywood villain. “None of them, be it Gabbar or Shakaal, were caught by the police. So, we put them behind bars here,” smiles Raj Ghosh, who is in charge of operation sales at The Jail Lounge.

To complement the theme the menu includes dishes like the Jail Shell Crab or succulent crab meat marinated in garlic and oyster sauce and sautéed in olive oil. Even the plates come printed with black-and-white stripes. Yes, it’s a modern jail alright.

Quirky enough for you? Completely off the regular hangout scene? “That’s exactly what makes them tick,” says Puneet Tayal, co-owner of the Ice Bar. And adds: “Theme bars are proving to be hotspots as people want the unusual.’’

So enjoy the madness — it’s destination dining at its costumed best.