The excise department considers the extension of timing from 12 am to 12:30 am for bars and pubs another day. So the licence fee is Rs 10,000 and 15 per cent cess.

“If they are opened beyond the permitted hour, we will book cases against them. There are 48 excise ranges in Bangalore Urban district and we have made as many batches, to ensure the clampdown.

“We will send the list of who all have applied for CL5 to the City police so that they can also help in patrolling,” said an excise officer.

And what happens if they flout the norms? The department gets more moolah because these are compoundable offences.

The mood is upbeat, half tizzy with whisky, rum, vodka and wine. Talk of wine and women are capturing the “last bastion” of male presence at the liquor hangouts.

Girls’ brigade
“We are getting lot of women customers. They are smarter and know exactly what to drink. They come in groups and wash down wines, cocktails — not all together of course.

“They drink selectively, to bill up between Rs 500 and Rs 800 for an evening in the bar,” said Ashok Sadhwani, the man, who has watched Bangalore’s pub clientele grow from corporate adults to teeny boppers, fresh out of college.

“Till last year, we gave out single tickets but this year we are doing only couples. We’ve already sold 100 tickets. will pick up 100 more. This means that women are in the league as well,” said Diwakar of Blue Bar at Taj West End.

Watch out this year for belly dancers from Russia at Athena — the lounge bar at The Leela, fire dancers from Austria at SOS lounge bar at Garuda Mall and dance groups from East Europe at Zero G.

The adrenaline is already upped and will be uncorked at 12 midnight of December 31/January 1 with champagne, wine, dance, chic clothes  and what not.