Drinks News: An Underground Bar in B'Town, more

There've been a couple of so-called speakeasy-style bar openings--Knee High, The Hideout, and the forthcoming Tavern Law--some that come closer to the true meaning of a speakeasy (secretive, undergound) than others.

Bathtub Gin, which is opening this week in the basement of Humphrey Apartments (below La Fontana, on Blanchard Street between First and Second Avenues) sounds mighty promising. In keeping with the you-have-to-know-where-to-look aspect of a speakeasy, Bathtub Gin's door is hidden in the alleyway, and from what I hear, the interior is sexy, dim and filled with lots of sly, shadowy corners to slip into. Owners include bartender Jessica Gifford (sister of Nicole Wilson, co-owner of Crush) and Marcus Johnson.

Been to Moshi Moshi for cocktails yet? In my recent review of Moshi, I called out bartender Eric Carlson as a bartender-to-watch; he brings years of mixology experience in the Bay Area to his new post in Ballard. And now it looks like you can taste his clever concoctions at Bricco on Queen Anne as well. He's reworked the cocktail menu to include drinks like the Deville: Buffalo Trace bourbon, muddled ginger, lemon, orange, grade b organic maple syrup and egg whites ($9).

And in a rare booze-related blind item: I'm hearing promising news about a locally famous bartender being lured to the Eastside for an opening this September. If it's true, it'd mean serious cocktails for Eastside drinkers (finally!), and though I can't divulge who it is just yet, the news makes the restaurant opening a whole lot more intriguing. Stay tuned.