The Sixth is a new 50-seat cocktail lounge in Lincoln Square that has been very popular since opening in late December. The Spaceman Spiff cocktail incorporates smoky cedar and citrus flavors into a mezcal-based drink. The bartenders had to stop taking a shot every time a customer commented about the neighborhood needing a place like this. The Sixth offers creative cocktail presentations and uses six different house-made ice cubes, along with a selection of spirits and beers to satisfy all patrons.

1. OUT OF THIS WORLD
The mezcal-based
Spaceman Spiff ($12) at
The Sixth incorporates
a rich smoke of cedar
and citrus into the
sensory experience.
FOOD& D R I N K
PHOTOBYANTHONYTAHLIER
HOMECOMING When The Sixth, a sleek 50-seat Lincoln Square lounge from the owners of (and located next to) Roots Handmade Pizza opened in
late December, the bartenders liked to play a game where every time a customer commented on how the neighborhood so needed a place like this, they’d take a
shot. They quickly put a stop to that, says Beverage Director Benjamin Schiller, so they wouldn’t be “dead by 8pm.” Being at capacity on most nights with plenty
of patrons hailing from nearby is a problem Schiller is happy to have. As an area resident himself, he’s not surprised The Sixth’s progressive approach to cocktails,
including ubercreative presentations (see above) and six different ice cubes crafted in-house (check out the multicolored and -flavored ones in the gin-focused
Silly Rabbit, $12) has taken off. But if a patron wants a hard-to-find spirit—an Old Grand-Dad Bourbon circa 1930s ($150), anyone?—or a canned lager, The
Sixth can accommodate those requests too. It is, after all, the neighborly thing to do. 2200 W. Lawrence Ave., 872.241.8666, thesixthbar.com –Lisa Shames