If you read many of my posts, you know I absolutely love Speakeasy spots. We recently went to this fun place called Bathtub Gin in Chelsea. When you get to the address, you see Stone Street coffee shop, already closed for the day. But guess what, comes the magic hour, a staff will come out and let you in a group at a time (you want to get a reservation beforehand for this place). Inside the coffee shop, through a secret door, a whole different world opens up before you.

Dim lights and romantic antique decor, you are transported to the twenties. I love 1920’s-inspired speakeasy! We had a reservation at when they open for the evening, and there were already a few group of people also waiting to get in. It was still quiet and not so crowded, so we got to enjoy and appreciate the space before it got busy.

And true to their name, they have a bathtub in there. Yes, a real bathtub! You can take all sorts of fun pictures with, in, or around this beautiful clawfoot bathtub. We sure did! We got one of their semi-round booth tables, which was gorgeous. Love the lamp shade that really brings out the mood!

And if you were wondering why there are newspapers on the table, well, because that is their menu! The first time I’ve ever seen something like this at a speakeasy was at Cahoots Underground in London. It is such a fun, creative, and unique concept. Also, it really matches the atmosphere as well.

So, to start of this excellent evening, we each ordered a different cocktail. We got Giggle Juice ($19), a mystery cocktail with egg white ($20), Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin ($16), and Bombay Premier Cru Gin & Matcha ($16). Giggle Juice is made with Yellow Chartreuse, Rocky’s Liqueur, Falernum, Pineapple, and Pineau des Charrentes. It came in a tall glass, beautiful yellow color, and very pineapple indeed. Sweet but not overly sweet, tropical and fruity, almost like a spiked juice. I could’ve had so many glasses of this… So tasty!

My husband loves a cocktails with egg white on top, but didn’t see one on the menu. When he asked about it, our server recommended a cocktail that they can make, but not on the newspaper menu. I am not sure what ingredients are in this, but it was really great! The server did excellent job with her recommendation! For the other two, since we are at Bathtub Gin, we had to get a couple of Gin & Tonic drinks as well. Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin is made with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, Charred Jalapeño, Grapefruit Slice. It was nice and tropical, refreshing, and with a little kick. The other Gin & Tonic drink was Bombay Premier Cru Gin & Matcha. It is made with London Essence Blood Orange Elderflower Tonic, Raspberry, Lemon. It had a nice hint of matcha flavor, but not so present. This one was elegant, fruity, and so tasty! They sure make amazing cocktails here!!

Ok, their cocktails are delicious. How about their food? Let’s find out… We ordered a few items to share, and I had no idea how big or small the portion would be. We started off with three dishes: Truffle Agnolotti ($18), Royale with Cheese ($20), and Oysters Rockefeller ($21). The Truffle Agnolotti is made with King Trumpets, Mushroom Brodo, and Sexy Scallion. Yes, not some ordinary scallion, but “Sexy Scallion” according to their menu. Love that! The mushrooms were large, meaty, and cooked just right. The broth was earthy with deep, delicate flavor. I wanted some bread to dip and soak up all that goodness! Sexy scallion added extra texture and flavor.

Royale with Cheese is made with Sauce Secreto, B&B Pickles, American Cheese, served with fries. This burger was double stacked which was a nice surprise. The patty was cooked the way I like, so juicy and packed with flavor. Melty cheese, fresh veggies, crunchy pickles, fluffy buns… No complaints anywhere, simply yum! The fries were crispy and potato-y, addictive and tasty as well. I always enjoyed Oyster Rockefeller, and they do really nice one here too. They are made with Spinach, Absinthe, and Parmesan. This was a nice appetizer item, baked well, topped with crunchy parmesan that provides the perfect amount of salty flavor.

At this point, we could not resist getting more of their amazing cocktails… We ordered BTG Espresso Martini ($20), made with Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Salted Maple, Vanilla, and Stone Street Coffee. It is great that they use the coffee from the actual storefront of this Speakeasy, Stone Coffee! It had great coffee flavor, perfect bitterness and sweetness, with creamy top. Tasty! Last cocktail we tried was S’mores Old-Fashioned ($19), made with Bourbon, Graham Crackers, Vanilla, White Chocolate, and Bitters. It came with a toasted marshmallow! How fun is that! It was strong with nice sweetness to it, kind of the “adult s’mores” feel to it. We of course enjoyed both cocktails so much!

We also added a couple of dishes, as we were still a bit hungry. After all, we were sharing among the four of us. We thought to get some kind of veggie dish, so we chose Wedge Salad ($16), made with Ramp Ranch, Pickled Shallots, Lardons, and Tomato Raisins. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from a wedge salad. I’ve had a few in my past, and they are just salad, right? Well, here at Bathtub Gin, they even escalate a good old wedge salad into something special! It was huge, to begin with, loaded with all sorts of tasty toppings. Super fresh, crisp and crunchy, great amount of salty flavor from salt. Very refreshing and satisfying. We all enjoyed this dish a lot!

The last dish of our choice was Shrimp Toast ($17), served with Peanut Sauce and Fried Basil. I had no idea what that was going to be, and therefore a bit worried about what we are going to receive. But another happy surprise here, it was so interesting and delicious!

Since were having such an amazing time here at Bathtub Gin, we decided to get some desserts to end the evening. The dessert menu was small yet enticing, we decided to order all three items: NYC Cheesecake ($12) with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, White Chocolate Crumble, and Yuzu Coulis. Yup, it is not your regular NYC cheesecake. They know how to upscale the heck out of it. It was so moist, rich, and yes, delicious! Loved the strawberry rhubarb combination, and it went great with white chocolate and yuzu. Whoever came up with this ingredients to be put together into cheesecake is a genius… The second item was Affogato ($10), made with Toasted Cocoa Nib, Stone Street Espresso, Tiramisu Eclair. This one was actually not so much to share among the four of us, but for my beloved niece who wanted to have it. I am weak when it comes to her… LOL. She enjoyed it to the max, of course!

The last dessert was S’mores ($12), with Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, and Milk Chocolate. This is a real deal, make-your-own-S’mores experience, which was AMAZING! And guess what, my mother has never had a s’mores before, so this was extra fun!

The size of the marshmallow was perfect for the graham crackers, and the chocolate got nice and melty under the hot marshmallow. My goodness this was awesome! Who knew you could roast your own marshmallow in a speakeasy??? This place rocked!

Their bathroom is located in the back, left to the large bathtub. And guess what, the sink is made of little bathtubs too! How cute!!! They had a few gender neutral bathrooms, a bit dimly lit (I brightened up the images so you can see better). I really like the wall paper with that old, antique-feel design.

We had a massive fun time here at Bathtub Gin. And if you are wondering “why bathtub?” Well, according to their website, it is named after “the homemade alcohol that was watered down in bathtubs during the years of Prohibition.” Who knew they did that? How cool…

The service was friendly, efficient, and we were always taken well care of. And when I mentioned that we were celebrating a birthday, a manager brought out four shots on the house! Thank you! Once thing to note, the gratuity of 20% was added to our bill, which we were more than happy to oblige. The manager made sure that we were aware of it, so that we don’t add another 20% to the bill. Very considerate. All the drinks and food we had were really good, we were all happy and full. We would definitely go back for more fun time in the future!

Bathtub Gin – 132 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011