A distinct aroma reminiscent of hookah smoke hangs in the air at the Sixth. The cocktail bar doesn’t allow patrons to smoke—but the bartenders can and do. The smoke created by grinding up cedar wood, dried citrus peel, and shisha, and putting the mix into a handheld smoker is a key element of one of the most popular drinks: the mescal-based Spaceman Spiff, which is served atop a small, smoke-filled bowl. Lifting the conical, stemless glass allows the smoke to waft out and affords a glimpse, through the haze, of a diorama inside the bowl that’s meant to be evocative of something Spaceman Spiff—Calvin’s alter ego in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip—might’ve seen on another planet. (The objects in the bowl vary per cocktail, but the one I received consisted of tiny plastic hedgehogs and multicolored aquarium gravel.) It’s a neat concept, and the smoke combined with the smoky mescal, grilled pineapple juice, hazelnut orgeat, and barbecue bitters is the closest I’ve come to drinking a campfire. While the cocktail is far from subtle, the sweet, savory, nutty notes cut through the over-the-top smokiness.
The Old Money is an excellent cocktail, but the one that lingers in my mind is the Weston: a riff on an old-fashioned made with wheated bourbon (usually Old Weller Antique 107, though it can vary); syrup infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and Dark Matter Unicorn Blood coffee; and tobacco “essence” (pipe tobacco macerated in high-proof spirits and then misted on top of the drink). It’s sweeter than the Old Money, with notes of milk chocolate, coffee, and vanilla, but not syrupy—and the tobacco adds a slightly smoky nose and a mysterious but compelling flavor that stays post-sip. The ice for both drinks is made in a Clinebell ice machine and hand carved, resulting in crystal-clear cubes that you can see right through.
