Cigar/Spirit Pairings

[NulloModo]

A neat glass of bourbon can be a delight to the tastebuds, as can a fine cigar. Combine the two and you will suddenly notice notes in the flavors of both that were hidden before. This thread is to share your favorite pairings of certain cigars with specific liquors. Do you think that Romeo y Julieta goes particularly well with Maker's Mark? Is Wild Turket 101 Bourbon the perfect match for Avo or Punch? What say ye?

[GordonCooks]

I seem to be smoking milder cigars these days.

Coyopa with Ashton Cabinet #6s

Bacardi 8 yr old with Macanudo Vintage

Lagavulin with Fuente Hemingways

edit sp

Edited June 1, 2004 by GordonCooks (log)

[Lan4Dawg]

Maker's Mark does sell/produce/market a cigar. The first one I smoked was rather disappointing so I left the several others in their humidor (w/ a red wax seal naturally!) until last year when I pulled one out to take to a party. I do not know if it was the aging or if it was b/c I was drinking MM specifically or what but the cigar was absolutely wonderful and the bourbon flavor really shown through. I was seriously impressed. The two I have smoked since have been similar circumstances (drinking MM w/ the cigars exclusively) but they were also excellent.

I have attended several cigar/scotch dinners but have never participated in a cigar/bourbon dinner. It might be a fun and some what different option.

On a side note: I never figured out the martini & cigar craze that went around for a while. That always seemed counter-active to me. Martinis are/were supposed to be pre-dinner cocktails (or cocktail party drinks where cigars are not usually involved) and cigars are/were supposed to be for after dinner and leant themselves to the richness of a good bourbon, single malt scotch, cognac, armagnac, &c. Why confuse the issue? but then I have never been "trendy".

[pogophiles]

Evan Williams Single Barrel (1993) pairs with an RyJ Cedros #3 (cuban) very nicely...

[bigbear]

The latest pairing, that I particularly enjoyed, was a Cameroon petite corona from the Little Cigar Factory (boutique producer based in Massapequa, NY) and Cruzan Estate Diamond rum.

[LEdlund]

Mr Ledlund enjoys a CAO Criollo Pato with a Manhattan on a pretty regular basis.

[Episure]

I have been finding great joy with a Cohiba Lancero in one hand and a Lagavulin in the other. Both smoulder well.

[davidbdesilva]

What a great thread! I just tonight enjoyed a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 with a glass of Arberlour A'bunadh. A lush, full-bodied cigar that demands a powerful Scotch, they went together quite well. I also enjoy an Oliva "O" Bold with a glass of Booker's bourbon, another tet a tet of power.

[richl2214]

I prefer a LBV Warres 97 port or maybe if its special a 70 or 77 Grahams.

I mostly smoke Habana cigars and fine they go perfect with Iced Tea or a nice cup of Cafe with cream.

Latest cigars smoked:

Upmann Monarca Tubo

Flor de Cano Corona

Raphael Gonzalez Coronas Extra

Partagas Seleccion Privada #1

El Rey del Mundo Tainos

All enjoyed with a nice glass of port. I find it cleanses the palate between puffs and definitely knocks out that cigar mouth you get afterwards.

[SWISS_CHEF]

I am a Cognac and cigar lover but I am no expert, only a willing participant. I am fortunate to live in Switzerland where we have no trouble obtaining Cuban cigars and because I live near the border with France and Germany I have access to a very wide range of Cognacs and cigars. I don't spent a lot either.... the most expensive cognac is €44 ($60). The cigars are an even better value at less than a buck each, but I assure you they have been perfectly kept and are moist and fresh very nice to smoke.

Here are the Cognacs that I have open at the moment

They are (left to right)

Beaubourg VSOP

Jean Pierre Delatour XO

Davidoff Classic

Jules Gautret 3ème

Reme Martin "Club"

The Cigars are Guantanamera's , Compay and Dècimos (Cuban)

So that's what I'm drinking and smoking.

[zilla369]

SC,

How lucky you are on the Cuban cigar front!

Have you (or anyone reading) ever had a Maker's Mark cigar? I've smoked 5 or 6 over the last couple of years. Smooth, bourbon-y goodness, IMO. But then I'm hardly a cigar expert, either.

[SWISS_CHEF]

SC,

How lucky you are on the Cuban cigar front!

Have you (or anyone reading) ever had  a Maker's Mark cigar?  I've smoked 5 or 6 over the last couple of years.  Smooth, bourbon-y goodness, IMO.  But then I'm hardly a cigar expert, either.

←

Hi Marsha,

I have not run across the MM cigar here in Switzerland but did you notice post 3 in this thread?

Regards, Ed

[SWISS_CHEF]

I Realise there are a lot of Cognacs I can buy in France that never get exported to the States. But have any of you tried the Davidoff Classic or the Remey Martin Club? I think you should be able to find them in the States and I would be interested in your opinions.

[bostonapothecary]

i've always wanted to spend time experiencing cigar and spirits / cocktail parings....

i was asked to do a cigar event for our patio closing in september and was looking for ideas.... i've always been huge into cigar box the flavor as found in benedictine.... red wines.... brown spirits etc....

tonight i smoked a lighter bodied dominican cigar and had a large flight of things to taste it with....

rosso antico sweet vermouth

my damiana flower flavored anejo tequila (slightly sweetened by agave nectar)

1992 plantation venezuala

black maple hills small batch bourbon

my favorite was the rum and then the vermouth

my brothers favorite was the vermouth and then the tequila

what are some rules of thumb on parings....?? sweet things go with what.... fuller bodied cigars go with what.... etc.

is a contrasting pairing much more fun than a comparative?

previous posts from apparently long ago said beautiful things about coffee....

i would love to hear some experiences and some recommendations. i have about a month to experience as much of it as possible....

i'm kinda also interested in any lore of famous cigar smokers and their opinions on what to smoke with what you drink.... anyone know any churchill, hemingway lore? your own grandfather? what exactly did pappy van winkle smoke?

[mcdowell]

I don't care for tequila with my cigars. I find the flavor of the drink completely overwhelming, even with a strong smoke. The tequila you described, though, does sound nice, and maybe with a little less edge than I'm used to.

There's something to be said for rum. I read an article once that postulated that rum and cigars were made for each other given that they both hail from the same Caribbean ports -- it's unlikely that the Cubans or Dominicans were drinking brandy while enjoying their nightly smokes. Makes sense, but in my mind, it'd have to be one good rum.

My favorite pairing is a nice vintage, or at least complex, Port paired with a medium bodied cigar. But more often I'm sipping a flavorful bourbon.

Cigar of choice these days is Montecristo #3 (Habana -- thank god for those quarterly trips across the Ocean), but do mix it up some with trips to the humidor at the local shop.

Bourbon of choice is almost always Bookers.

[bostonapothecary]

mcdowell, do you cut your bookers with water?

i can intuitively think of great wine and food pairings because their are more rules to guide you and experience can take you a long way.

this cigar business is quite the challenge because the level of nuance is intense. i don't have an intimate knowledge and memory of brown spirits because i mainly drink cocktails. this is gonna take some serious research....

the mechanics of the pairing are pretty strange. different reviews claimed certain cigars had the effect of making a spirit seem hotter which was a negative.... but no rule of thumb could be assertained as to how it could be predicted....

in food and wine, the comparative pairing is usually the easiest while the contrast which is IMO the most rewarding is usually the hardest to make work and should be done only out of exact experience.... in my limited experience cigar pairing seems the opposite....

will report back with some findings....

[eje]

Not a cigar smoker myself; but, at Forbidden Island in Alameda they do cigar and rum pairing patio parties pretty regularly.

Might try dropping them a note, and see what they've had the best luck with.

[mcdowell]

mcdowell, do you cut your bookers with water?

←

Oh, Yes. Absolutely necessary with Bookers. The stuff is barrel-proof and overwhelming in the wrong hands.

[TBoner]

I'm a former cigar junkie (I'm hooked on pipe smoking now) who still smokes one once in a while. One reason I gave it up is that my favorite spirit is bourbon, and I always felt my cigars wanted rum. In fact, my palate at some point started picking up almost exclusively on the rummy notes in any spirit I would consume with a cigar (I suppose this might be largely psychological). Bourbon tasted rumlike with most any stick I smoked (very frustrating, since I used to love pairing bourbon and cigars). It drove me nuts, and I switched to pipe tobacco, which I've found more versatile (there were other factors in the pipe decision, but pairings were foremost in mind for me).

All that being said, I have had good luck pairing good maduros from a variety of regions with bourbon. Any spice-bomb stick will be a bracing contrast to bourbon's sweetness. Well-aged rye matches nicely with softer, sweeter smokes. When it comes to rum, I try to match rums with cigars from the same country or region. I haven't messed around too much with pairing cigars and cognac or armagnac.

At any rate, I have spent a good bit of time on the forums over at Cigar Weekly. There's a forum dedicated to pairing beverages with cigars. You will find great insight over there as to successful pairings. Look for any post or thread by "jazznut." His experience and palate are remarkable, and he provides outstanding advice on pairing cigars with spirits (as well as wine and coffee).

[Malkavian]

Yo TB- what pipe tobacco do you fancy with spirits? (and as an aside, I second his mention of Jazznut, he's a genius [i post on CW as MalkavianX if anyone cares to say hi])

Edited August 21, 2007 by Malkavian (log)

[TBoner]

Malkavian,

It depends on the spirit. Peaty Islay malts, for instance, go well with Oriental blends that are latakia-heavy. But for bourbon or rye, I prefer a good blend of Virginias, some stoved and some not. This avoids the heavy earthiness of English and Turkish blends and allows the spice and sweetness of the whiskey to come through more.

Irish whiskeys can pair with either of the above, or with a good aromatic. I don't like aromatics generally, but something with no artificial flavors, just a bit of Cavendish, is quite good with, say, Redbreast.

I generally try to shop at Cornell & Diehl online, as they have very thorough descriptions and a huge selection. They will also custom blend, something with which I've just begun experimenting.

I can give you some specific blend names if you like, but most blends are proprietary, even if they go by identical names. Generally, though, anything that references Sherlock Holmes in any way will smoke nicely with Scotch.

I don't drink rum with pipes, since it goes so well with a cigar. As for other spirits, I usually mix those in cocktails and don't bother with smoking anything (I'm not a big enough cognac fan to have done much experimentation, though I do enjoy both armagnac and good Spanish brandy: but as for pairings, ????).

[Jon Savage]

It depends on mood and the cigars involved.

Usually I'll just have water if a cigar is new to me; othewise the trick is to find drinks that complent but don't overwhelm the cigar.

A few of my favorite parings:

La Gloria Cubana M 'd O #3 - Pinot Grigio.

La Gloria Cubana M 'd O #1 - Single malt scotch

San Cristobal De Habana El Principe - a nice pastis.

Punch Ninfa - good lager.

Punch Margarita - Black Coffee.

Partagas 8-9-8 - Glass of balanced red wine.

Cuaba Tradicionales - sipping rum