Nightlife Maven Jon Neidich Opening Bars Below Happiest Hour, Tijuana Picnic in May

The long awaited cocktail den beneath Jon Neidich's retro-tiki West Village hot spot Happiest Hour finally has a name and an opening timeline. Slowly Shirley should open sometime in May with "a 1940s-style hotel lobby bar with an old-world style of service," Neidich told the Wall Street Journal. Drinks, as to be expected, will come from his partner and master barman Jim Kearns, though there's no word yet on what will make the menu. While the retro-tropical vibe at the Happiest Hour is a bit like a party, expect downstairs to be a bit more grown up.

Meanwhile, on Cinco de Mayo, Neidich will open his other subterranean drinking den, Tico's Tequila Bar, beneath his Asian-Mexican mash-up restaurant Tijuana Picnic. Here, Neidich plans to offer 70 tequilas and 30 mezcals, and have a DJ most nights. According to Neidich: "It's a little bit like a Mexican disco, or maybe a Tulum-inspired dance party."