Last night, the evening air was clear and cool as we sipped on premium Luksusowa Vodka cocktails on the patio at Bymark, pretending to have the “perfect puff” of Mombacho Cigars from Nicaragua.

We were told we were trying “true vodka,” as Polish Luksusowa is actually made from potatoes, unlike most contemporary brands. The cocktail list paired the silent spirit with Pear, Watermelon, and Raspberry (and yes, we tried all three). After getting comfy on the couches, and doing our best SNL ‘Coffee Talk’ impressions (did I mention we tried all three cocktails?!) our group decided we preferred a more savory palette, so the true test was asking the bartender to fashion a nice dirty martini… filthy with olives.

We’re already excellent sippers, but cigar smoke is a little more tricky. Mombacho Cigars is a younger company, accessible, and not uber-serious about instilling technique. We were lit up by a lovely lady in a tobacco colored dress, and told not worry too much about smoking etiquette, just to relax and enjoy, puff, and socialize…

Among the serious suits, we were able to laugh as we goofed around with Kenny Hotz (of Kenny vs. Spenny) talking about his new bar, The Hoxton. A perfect puff of an evening.

~ Louisa Cohen