Bathtub Gin

One of my brother's best friends was in town last weekend, interviewing for fellowship programs.  I was determined to make my brother proud and show him how amazing NYC can be so we filled the schedule with museums, restaurants, and [of course] bars.  Between dinner and an apartment party on Saturday night, we went to Bathtub Gin, a speakeasy in Chelsea.  Enter through a coffee house and walk into a damask and tin roof-filled bar.  Even the bathroom got the proper decorative treatment.  Communal sinks sit outside stalls that house the type of toilets with a pull flush.  Not sure why, but I found that dang pull flush to be super fun.

Perhaps it was because we arrived before the crowds did, but the bartenders were genial and attentive.  One of them made me a delicious cocktail with gin, raspberry, and egg whites that created a thick, sweet foam.  It kind of tasted like one of those strawberry real fruit popsicles - and I love those things.  The drinks are not cheap, but the atmosphere is fun so it's a great place to have a cocktail or two before hitting up your less expensive, longer term bar for the evening.