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Seasonal Drink and Cigar Pairings
By Jesse | March 7, 2008
This entry comes from someone out of the typical forums and places I haunt and promote the heck out of my site. Big Pappa at The Big Bald Blog gives us his thoughts on cigars and drink pairings with some seasonal considerations. We’ve got some other wonderful entries ahead, but you still have a chance to enter and win. Check out the Contest Page for details.
Some time ago, I realized that it was very important to pair the right beverage with a cigar. Several years back, a cognac type beverage was introduced called Alize’. This was a perfect palate cleanser and compliment to most cigars. I found that a couple of ounces of this was all that was needed to finish a good Churchill sized cigar. Back then I was smoking a lot of Fuentes, Macanudos, Nat Shermans and the occasional ONYX. Today, I opt for a variety of libations, largely dependant on the weather conditions here in the Midwest.
Summer: I have transitioned over to primarily, natural wrapped light duty smokes for this time of year and I prefer a drink that is more toward the citrus end of the spectrum. For my summer parings I tend to opt for the following:
Mojitos (extra lime and made from scratch) - a light and refreshing compliment to any light bodied cigar.
Gin and tonic with lime - Again, a very light bodied cocktail that goes well with a cigar.
Margaritas made with fresh lime are always a summer classic.
Fall: When the season start to change, I tend to move toward heavier drinkables like red wines. My fall enjoyment commonly revolves around a cabernet or a zinfandel with a smoke. This is also the time when a smoke seems to go particularly well with a good 20 year old scotch.
Winter: Coffee and a smoke. You know you have done it and you know you like it. This time of year, I LOVE to have a smoke and a coffee. It seems to warm the soul. The glowing ember of your cigar and the cleansing flood of a good coffee with just a touch of cream to smooth out the acidity. My friends it doesn’t get much better than that.
However, these are the parings that do it for me. You need to experiment and find out what works best for your palette. Everyone is different. I keep a cigar diary to help me remember the cigar I had and what I paired it with. Remember, it’s all about the quality time spent as you unwind. Enjoy it to it fullest and include others in your enjoyment if you are so inclined.
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Tags: Bash Entry, Cigars, Drink Pairing
Topics: Drinks |
March 7th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I must add this quote from a Kobrand director about Alize. (From Wikkipedia, citing to 2003 trade magazine article appearing in “Massachusetts Beverage Journal”.)
The cognac-based fruit-flavor liqueur idea really originated around 1986 with the introduction of Kobrand’s Alizé, which started out selling for about $25 a bottle, and was being targeted directly at 45- to 55-year-old white women. At the time, it seemed to make good sense. It was an easy product to drink, kind of delicious with passion fruit in it, and it had a classy cognac image. But it sat on a shelf for about 8 years and didn’t move. The intended target audience just wasn’t buying in.
Then, about 1994, it was decided to liquidate the inventory. The shelf price was dropped to around $16 a bottle. Coincidentally, this was the same time the product began to appear in rap videos. In particular, the internationally-famous rap legend Tupac Shakur, came out with his video hit called “Thug Passion”, and rapped about Alizé and Cristal. I’m convinced these three brands are still riding the waves of this notoriety even now. Anyway, four weeks after this hit came out, Shakur was assassinated, and these three brands just took off.”
Altho I have never seen the video, the latter paragraph describes the image I had of this product as a drink for the euphemistically named ‘urban youth’
March 7th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
You know, I don’t think I’d have ever though to pair a cigar with a mojito, but it’s such an obvious choice, now that I think about. A classic Cuban cocktail to go with a nice Cuban cigar (or at least a cigar whose filler originates from Cuban seeds)…why didn’t I think of that before?
I can imagine a nice gin and tonic pairing well with certain cigars too, yet, again, I don’t think I’d have thought of it if I hadn’t read it here.
Thanks for the suggestions!
March 12th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
It’s all about hanging out with friends too. Grab another couple of friends, sit on the deck and watch the sun go down as you enjoy your favorite smoke. Yes sir, that is good stuff there.