Until recently, going out in New Delhi typically involved walking into a gilded lobby. Besides private parties and wedding receptions, there were few night-time alternatives to the no-flip-flops-allowed bars in five-star hotels.

Today, with more young professionals looking for places to unwind in a city of nearly 17 million, the nightlife options have not only multiplied, they've become more informal.

And the change is happening right now: Delhi's nightlife is almost unrecognizable from what it was less than a year ago. 'It looks like it's evolving as we speak,' says Mahesh Mathai, who recently opened a branch of his club blueFROG, a staple of Mumbai nightlife.

A major component of the transformation is Hauz Khas Village, a neighborhood in the southern part of the city that is flanked by pockets of forests and caters to a bohemian crowd. After dusk, it transitions from a quaintantique and Bollywood-poster district to Delhi's island of cool. Hardly a week goes by without the opening of a new bar or restaurant in the area.

If you get there before dark, meander through Hauz Khas Village's narrow lanes and head to La Boheme. You'll have to climb five flight of stairs before you get to it -- and you will wonder whether you're heading for someone's flat -- but the rooftop bar is worth it. A small thatched hut with white-washed walls, it opens on to a sprawling terrace that overlooks a lake (a deckchair wouldn't feel out of place). There is no better place to enjoy a cold beer as the sun sinks behind the surrounding parkland.

A few meters down the road from La Boheme is the Grey Garden, a one-room restaurant and wine bar that's like a cabinet of curiosities (think stopwatches and seashells encased in its tables).

Then head to the Living Room. What started off as the owner's 'personal living room' is now one of the area's most popular bar/restaurants. 'A bit more underground, a bit more hidden, a bit more secretive -- that was the direction of the place initially,' says Gautam Aurora, who opened the Living Room a little over three years ago when he moved to Delhi from London. The cocktail menu ranges from Mojitos to its signature Bloody Indian, a variation on a Bloody Mary that uses local favorite Old Monk Rum instead of vodka. If you are craving a burger, the Living Room's lamb-based 'Big'Un' comes close to the real thing.

Also in Hauz Khas Village is Out of the Box, which is nestled on the top two floors of an unassuming building just down the road from the Living Room. Its wood-and-rope interiors give the place something of a treehouse vibe. On weekends, guest DJs get patrons on their feet.

For deeper-pocketed revelers, the upscale lounges and nightclubs of Mehrauli await. Mehrauli is located farther south of Hauz Khas Village and circles the Qutub Minar, a 12th-century tower that's one of Delhi's oldest surviving monuments.

BlueFROG's recent opening put the area on the map. The psychedelically designed nightclub is the place to go for a wide range of live music from international (Nitin Sawhney of Buddha Bar fame recently took the stage) and homegrown acts. The seating area slopes onto the dance floor, which has a stage on one end and a raised DJ booth on the other. Get there before 11 p.m. on weekends to beat the crowds.

Another newcomer in the Mehrauli ring is the retro-futuristic lounge Shroom (it looks like something out of 'The Jetsons'). In line with its space-age theme: a deconstructed watermelon Caipiroska that is served in a martini glass and topped with mint-flavored 'air.' And don't be surprised when you discover that the chicken wings are cubed. Circa 1193, a swanky cocktail bar that sprawls over multiple terraces, is an additional dining option in the neighborhood, and has one of the city's best pan-Asian menus.

Delhi still loves its bling. For a taste of it, head to the Leela Palace New Delhi in Chanakyapuri, the diplomatic enclave. Although it opened its doors only recently, with its sandstone interiors and lavish chandeliers it embodies old-school Indian luxury. At the bar, inspired by turn-of-the-century gentlemen's clubs, you can try a cigar-smoked mint julep or take your pick from a 25-page menu of bourbon and single-malt scotch -- a big deal in whiskey-loving India.

The bar's pride is a 130-year-old bottle of Cognac, its Louis XIII Rare Cask. A shot of it will set you back more than $2,500, which the hotel claims makes it the most expensive drink in the subcontinent. Bartenders say the last order came from a South African king, who ordered seven in October.

Margherita Stancati

• wedding [´wediŋ] n.婚礼，结婚 (初中英语单词)
• neighborhood [´neibəhud] n.邻居；邻近；附近 (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
• restaurant [´restərɔnt] n.饭店，菜馆 (初中英语单词)
• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
• cabinet [´kæbinit] n.橱，柜；内阁 (初中英语单词)
• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• bloody [´blʌdi] a.(流)血的；血腥的 (初中英语单词)
• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• additional [ə´diʃənəl] a.附加的，额外的 (初中英语单词)
• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• component [kəm´pəunənt] a.组成的；成分 (高中英语单词)
• quaint [kweint] a.离奇的；奇妙的 (高中英语单词)
• terrace [´terəs] n.梯田 vt.使成梯田 (高中英语单词)
• surrounding [sə´raundiŋ] n.周围的事物 (高中英语单词)
• underground [,ʌndə´graund] ad.&a.地下(的) (高中英语单词)
• cocktail [´kɔkteil] n.&a.鸡尾酒(的) (高中英语单词)
• signature [´signətʃə] n.签名；盖章 (高中英语单词)
• variation [,veəri´eiʃən] n.变化；变动 (高中英语单词)
• newcomer [´nju:,kʌmə] n.新来的人；移民 (高中英语单词)
• scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)
• happening [´hæpəniŋ] n.事件，偶然发生的事 (英语四级单词)
• staple [´steipəl] n.&vt.(用)钉书钉 (英语四级单词)
• transformation [,trænsfə´meiʃən] n.转化；转变；改造 (英语四级单词)
• antique [æn´ti:k] a.古代的 n.古物(董) (英语四级单词)
• lounge [laundʒ] n.懒洋洋的姿势；闲逛 (英语四级单词)
• diplomatic [,diplə´mætik] a.外交的 (英语四级单词)
• sandstone [´sændstəun] n.砂岩 (英语四级单词)
• lavish [´læviʃ] a.慷慨的；浪费的 (英语四级单词)
• aurora [ɔ:´rɔ:rə] n.曙光，朝霞 (英语六级单词)
• craving [´kreiviŋ] n.渴望，热望 (英语六级单词)