Nope, if an alcoholic is drinking, he is most assuredly NOT in recovery! You got that 100% correct, stuckinfear.
Doesn't sound like he's real serious about getting sober.
You're doing great to not fall for his BS about "drinking in moderation"--in fact, I would hazard a guess that if you have seen him drink openly several times, he has likely been drinking covertly a lot MORE times...
Since you can't change what HE'S doing, what are you doing for yourself? Are you getting to Alanon meetings so you have some real-world resources to help you learn the tools you'll need to deal with your A? The more focus you put on you, what you want from life and how you're going to get it, the better your chances of getting there. As it sounds like you know, waiting for HIM to do it for you is going to be a waste of time.
Wishing you strength and clarity to move forward and not remain "stuckinfear"!