Taj Mahal Hotel    (Photo: Sweeney/JAI/Corbis)

Illustration by Murphy Lippincott

A night out with Namrata Bostrom and Priyanka Gill, who run the Indian lifestyle-and-beauty site POPxo.com.

N.B.: “I’ve just moved back to Delhi after eight years in the U.K., and what’s different is how much cocktail culture has caught on. My go-to for a quiet late-night drink in Khan Market is Perch (71 Khan Market; 837-397-6637), which is only a few months old. I love the Santiago Sour, with rum, caramel, lemon, star anise, and egg white. At the end of the night, they’ve done this thing where they let you try all the leftover wine — it’s a wonderful list that pairs well with their French-inspired food like braised-pork salad — and they play indie folk music, a lot of José González, which is a nice break from all the EDM you get in Delhi.”

P.G.: “My friends and I love to end our nights sinking into the couch at a beautiful hotel bar like the Library at the Leela Palace (Diplomatic Enclave; 11-3933-1340). Or, if we’ve been clubbing and fancy a carb overload, we head to Machan at the Taj Mahal Hotel (1 Mansingh Rd.; 11-6656-6162), where the décor is inspired by the tree-house-like machans that princes traditionally used to spot game while hunting tigers. Or, for something more airy, right above a store called Ogaan that sells hand-loomed saris alongside contemporary Indian designs, there’s Coast Café (H2 Hauz Khas; 11-4160-1717) — I grab a table on the third floor by the window and have a Moscow Mule with a side of mustard fries, which are to die for.”

Where Gill would crash: “The Lodhi (from $460; thelodhi.com), which has one of Dehli’s best spas. I also love the brunch at its restaurant, On the Waterfront, in winter, with the sun streaming in.”