Beijing Boyce

Add The Junction on 6 to the rather short list of good cocktail bars in our city. The Mojito, the Hemingway and the Long Island Sunset I sampled with Special K - who gets a major hat tip for insisting I try this place - were superb. I haven’t been this excited about a bar since Chad Lager at The Rickshaw hustled me off to Ichikura.Junction 6 is a homey spot in that “we keep the freezer in plain view of patrons” kind of way: it offers minimal decorations, a simple bar, basic but comfortable tables and chairs, Cuban videos (with Chinese subtitles) on a flat-panel screen and, of course, the drinks. It won’t win any design awards, but I’ll take excellent cocktails over fancy decor any night of the week.

“I make the best Mojitos in China,” says co-owner and bartender Alberto Gil Heller.

No sugar rushes here. The Mojitos (35 kuai) are well-balanced, refreshing and perfectly minty, and come with a kitschy stir stick. This is a place I need to bring Agent Red Wolf.

The Hemingway - which includes rum, cherry liqueur, grapefruit juice and lime juice - is a beautiful marriage of ingredients, though a bit sweet for my tastes, thus making one enough.

We finished off with a Long Island Sunset, recommended by Alberto after a request for something drier. This drink is delicious (hints of cranberry and what he later told us was Whisky), a tad astringent and - be forewarned - deceptively strong. This is a cocktail to take your time with.

Junction also offers a range of spirits as well as foreign beers (Becks, Bud et al) at 30 kuai a pop, while the Qingdao is 20. The pizzas are ideal filler, and best eaten before you start on the cocktails.

Efficient service, great drinks and a bartender who cares about his craft - just what we need more of in this town.

The Junction on 6 is in building 6 in the Moma apartment complex. If you come through the main gate, you will find it to the left and toward the back. Look for a neon “cocktail” sign.