Sauced

Bar Spotlight: Bathtub Gin

In an alley along Blanchard between First and Second: joy.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 08, 2009 at 01:00PM3 Comments

I wrote about speakeasy-style bars for an upcoming article in Seattle Met. (I know, I know. I and every other bar reporter in the city, but it’s something we all need to talk about.) Of Tavern Law, Knee High, and Bathtub Gin, Bathtub is definitely my favorite. This bar has the magic, people. To create it, Marcus Johnson and girlfriend Jessica Gifford basically emptied out their savings and then broke out the Visas. Johnson told me they opened before they’d even finished the build. For the first few weeks they’d spend their previous nights tips on trips to Home Depot. The couple had the good sense to price all their specialty cocktails at $9—there’s just something wonderful about a good drink that costs less than $10.

BARROOM FACTS:
The painting in the back room downstairs, the one with the little yellow birdies, is Johnson’s.

There’s no food program yet, but you can order anything off the menu from La Fontana next door.

Jessica Gifford manages the apartment building where Bathtub is housed.

Bathtub Gin was once the building’s boiler room. Gifford and Johnson were renovating the space to make in rentable as an apartment when inspiration hit.

Jessica Gifford formerly mixed drinks at Buddha Belltown, while Johnson has toiled behind the bar at Quinn’s and the Weston hotel.

There’s something magical in the Bathtub Gin air that makes taciturn Seattleites talk to each other. See if your neighbor doesn’t chat you up.

*******************************************************
Read about all the best bars in Seattle here.