The Sixth Bar Sells Ice Cubes Made of Memes for Your At-Home CocktailsAudrey Snyderon June 16, 2020 at 3:57 pm
When everyone was told to stay home and practice social distancing in mid-March, a lot of things changed for Chicagoans. We couldn’t see our friends and loved ones (at least not in person), and things we had taken for granted — like making last-minute plans to meet up for drinks and being in a crowded bar — were suddenly no longer an option.
Not only did our everyday interactions change, but the bars, restaurants, and other gathering places which ordinarily facilitated these social exchanges had to close (at least partly), therefore losing a lot of revenue. Chicagoans managing these spaces have had to think quickly and creatively to salvage their livelihoods, as well as the livelihoods of at least a portion of their staff.
One such business to ride the wave of change and uncertainty with a certain degree of style is The Sixth, an award-winning cocktail bar in Lincoln Square. The bar, whose name was inspired by a time early in whiskey-distilling history when it was said (according to The Sixth’s website) that 1 in every 6 men was somehow involved in whiskey production, has been serving craft cocktails and specialty ice since it opened in December 2015.
Since temporarily closing its doors for dine-in this March, The Sixth has been accepting online orders for its high-quality ice (if you are skeptical about the importance of ice in cocktails, you will be won over by this article) as well as a selection of whiskey through its online store on Upserve. Not only does the bar sell the classically attractive Collins ice (a 12-pack), floral Collins ice (also a 12-pack), and 2×2 rocks (a 16-pack), but it has also begun offering 16-packs of 2x 2 “meme” ice for $20 per pack.
“What is meme ice?” you might ask. “What have the kids gone and done now?” Luckily, these cubes rather effectively capture the time we’re in and the peculiar mental space we’ve all come to know (really what memes tend to do best), and will probably appeal to you even if you aren’t a meme-crazed millennial.
Two cube designs feature Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot; one is a close-up of her face, captioned with block letters reading, rather threateningly, “STAY INSIDE,” while the other captures the mayor standing in front of the Chicago flag, looking judgmentally out from her icy environs at anyone who might dare venture to the lakefront before it’s safe.
The other two cubes are devoted to the meme simply known by many as “This Is Fine,” which is a set of two drawings (each of those drawings is featured on one cube in the set) featuring a smartly-hatted dog who, while sitting in a room absolutely filled with flames and smoke, is saying aloud to himself, “This is fine.”
Whether you need a Lori Lightcube to remind you that COVID-19 is still out there, or you would rather be reassured by a cartoon dog that the world isn’t really on fire (except, you know, the Amazon), these delightful specialty ice cubes will look up at you cheerily (or threateningly) from your at-home cocktail, and no one need know (or worry) how much alcohol is ending up in your body by the end of the day.
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Featured Image Credit: The Sixth Bar
They’ve closed off one side of Scranton Avenue adjacent to the park for extra (socially distanced) seating. Restaurants facing the closed street include: Be Market (Vegan); Maevery’s (upscale American); The Brewery (craft beer) and just around the corner, Hansa for coffee and donuts.
The creative genius of des Rosiers has come into play during the pandemic where he has turned Inovasi’s large unusable indoor space into an upscale wine and liquor store where you can browse (and buy) from his collection of top-notch and artisanal spirits.
Plenty of fizz that slips away very quickly. A cloudy yellow lemonade color. Nice strong smell of fresh grated ginger. Taste is light and spicy, with ginger and lemon complementing nicely.
A lavender, or more closely, a purplish pour. I am picking up yeast in the nose before any floral or other character. Since I’m not a lavender kinda guy, the main impression is kind of like a sparkling wine, like a blush Asti. But there still is some yeast in the taste as well. Perhaps I will check out another can to see if this is just a blip.
A touch stronger at 6% abv, this is aged on slat of palo santo wood. My previous experience with the South American hardwood was Dogfish Head’s Palo Santo Marron, a 12% brown ale aged in barrels from palo santo. This is a hazy purple color, again with a fizzy head that goes away quickly. The main smell is again yeast, but it least it smells like it’s live. Taste has yeast again and, as I sip, a fresh blueberry smell comes just to the top of my nose. The wood taste is kind of slight, more of a general impression of tree sap. And there are some yeast dregs that come out at the end of the can.
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