Madam Chu's Bar

From the owners of the speakeasy bar The Union comes this Chinese-themed party bar. While The Union is dark, squareish and compact, Madam Chu's is long and narrow, with a bar running down most of one side of the room. The décor is early-1900s China, but a kitsch version in which the back-bar and several display cases are filled with Buddha statues, sake jars, and vintage posters of smiling ladies.

The bar is also more accessible than The Union in drink style and atmosphere, hosts a younger crowd, and seems built to handle a lot more volume (as seems to be the case with speakeasy bar owners' second bars everywhere). The cocktails, rather than incorporating mostly brown and bitter ingredients, include bright, fresh, and Asian-themed ones like shiso leaves, ginger, rhubarb, and aloe; and carry cheeky names like Throwing Star and Happy Ending.