Bathtub Gin
You get in through Stone Street Coffee on Ninth Avenue. A copper tub sits in the middle of the room.1 Dave Oz opened it in 2011. He named it for the spirit people cut in their tubs under Prohibition.4
Why go
Sean Muldoon wrote the opening list. He came off the Merchant Hotel bar in Belfast. The West Side put gin against sherry, St Germain, cucumber and basil. The Jazz Age put rum against pampelmousse rose, cherry liqueur and grapefruit.3 The kitchen runs shareable plates and late-night bites beside the drinking.5
Bryan Kim put it in The Infatuation's hidden-bars guide in September 2023 and wrote that the bar shamelessly commits to the theme. Black-and-white photographs and antique wallpaper cover the room. Servers wear suspenders. Candles do most of the lighting. The couches and upholstered booths hold people who forget they are in public.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: the S'mores Old Fashioned, which is Kim's pick.2
- Order: the fried oysters or the pork belly sliders if you want something under the drinks.3
- Avoid: a night you wanted for conversation. Live music, burlesque and DJ sets run here, so read the schedule before you pick one.5
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, The Infatuation's editorial lead in New York, in his hidden-bars guide of September 2023:
It's all a little corny, but it works.
2 - Hillary Reinsberg, reviewing it for The Infatuation in October 2017:
Your requisite Prohibition-inspired speakeasy in Chelsea with a quirky name and a secret door? That'd be Bathtub Gin.
1 - Time Out New York, in the opening season of 2011, on the theme:
The conceit of this saloon may seem a bit tired.
It sent readers to Muldoon's drinks anyway.3
Good to know
- Booking: there is somebody on the door, and Reinsberg's route round it is a reservation.1
- The door: 132 Ninth Avenue, in Chelsea.5
Verdict
could-visit — The gin library is what this room is actually for. Book through OpenTable.