Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – The Bitter Truth, Fee Brothers, and Ferdinand’s
Cigars and alcohol. Two luxury products that go hand in hand, and sometimes even meet on business level. Aging tobacco in whisky, rum, or cognac barrels is a practice several brands do to achieve extra flavour to the wrapper for certain lines.
The famous bourbon brand Maker’s Mark has their own cigar, sold in tubes with the signature wax coating. Drew Estate works with Pappy van Winkle and used to make Kahlua cigars. Mombacho used to have the Diplomatico series but Mombacho no longer exists. General Cigars works with Sazerac, which resulted in Fireball cigars, Weller by Cohiba and collaborations with Buffalo Trace. And there is the Diesel Whisky Row, a collaboration with Rabbit Hole Distilleries. Fratello Cigars also sells craft beer.
Most famous are probably the Cuban collaboration between Martell Cognac and Cohiba. Dominique London, the European retailer with more than 20 shops in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and the Canary Islands takes it one step further. They bought a distillery in Wales and produce whisky, gin, rum, vodka, cognac and liquors.
Bitters
As you may have noticed, every time I pair whisky with cigars and write about it, the article has the same structure. First, I try the whisky neat in a Glencairn glass. Then I try the same whisky in a rocks glass. I do this as the type of glass can make a world of difference. I was at a whisky tasting once, the whisky was amazing in a Glencairn glass but when me and my friends bought a bottle to consume on the spot and poured it into rocks glasses, everybody was very underwhelmed. We asked for Glencairn glasses and suddenly enjoyed the whisky again.
But that’s not the inspiration for this article. After trying the whisky neat, I always make an Old Fashioned before moving on to a different cocktail for each article. The Old Fashioned is the baseline cocktail, and always made the same. With Angostura bitters, the most famous cocktail bitters in the world. But for another cocktail I needed orange bitters and cocoa bitters. I got some, and made an Old Fashioned with cocoa bitters. That was an eye opener. When I friend passed me a bottle of Peychaud’s, something I wanted but could not find, I was happy as a child because that’s an ingredient used Sazerac and according to the professionals cannot be substituted with Angostura.
This intrigued me, so I went for a hunt for different kinds of bitters, and now that I have about 20 different bitters it’s time for an experiment. I am going to dedicate a few written pieces to the Old Fashioned, but all with different bitters. The first article, with three Angostura bitters and Peychaud’s bitters, the best known bitters in the world, can be found here. The Bitter Truth has 12 different bitters, but conveniently sells samplers in beautiful tins, the Traveler’s Set and the Bar Pack, which can be found here. There are two Bitter Truth bitters not available in packs and I also acquired two other German bitters from Ferdinand’s and a Fee Brothers bitter to write about today.
The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters
The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters were the first lemon bitters to be offered commercially, and they add the liveliness and freshness of lemons to every cocktail. The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters has a decadent aroma of hot lemon tea with honey. Fresh, fruity, and dense with spice, this little blonde has sherbet flavours mingling with coriander seed and a light touch of toasted cardamom. The pithy lemon brings out the charm in light or sharp mixed drinks and slips deliciously into gin, vodka, white rum, or Blanco tequila.
The Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters are primarily suited for drinks that are based on clear spirits but will comfortably blend with many other spirits and liqueurs. Try with anything from a Cobbler to a Kamikaze.
The nose is orange with lemon, lemon from the bitters. The lemon bitters are pretty strong, as this version of the Old Fashioned is quite sour from the lemon. I think this bitter will work very well in a Gin & Tonic, better than in an Old Fashioned to be honest. This version of the cocktail will be best with a medium to medium full bodied cigar with a spicy or earthy profile. An Ashton VSG for example.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
The Bitter Truth Tonic Bitters
The Bitter Truth Tonic Bitters are made to provide an authentic Gin and Tonic experience. The combination of grapefruit, Sicilian lemon, lime and Seville oranges merge perfectly with hints of juniper berries, orris root and Japanese green tea leaves.
Exotic notes of citrus and spice, balanced by a grassy-fresh Japanese green tea bouquet. Backed up with herbal notes from juniper berries, coriander seeds and mace. This offering is either very new, discontinued or a limited edition as it’s not mentioned on the website of The Bitter Truth. I do see an offering of Black Cherry bitters, that’s going on my wish list.
Surprisingly the tonic is noticeable in the nose with some orange. The tonic bitters enhances the ripe summer fruits of the Stalla Dhu Blair Athol Oloroso 110 Proof that I used for this cocktail. The bitters add depth with a little bit of a bite in the finish. Pair this with a nice and strong cigar and you’ll be happy. I would try this with the #1 cigar of the year, Arturo Fuente Opus X Reserva D’Chateau for example.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
Ferdinand’s Bitters Sweet Symphony Riesling Quince
Bitters from the folks behind Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin in Germany. These bitters have a rather intriguing flavour profile – Riesling and Quince! If you remember, the Saar Dry Gin is also made with Riesling, so perhaps these two could go in a drink together. The range of Ferdinand’s Sweet Symphony Bitters is made using the same botanicals that are used for its Saar Dry Gin. These Riesling and quince bitters will add fragrance and aromatics to food or drink.
The nose is classic Old Fashioned, orange from the oils and peel from the garnish. The cocktail is quite sweet, with hints of Riesling white wine combined with the ripe forest fruits of the very nice whisky. The bitterness in the finish has a drying feeling in the mouth. I would pair this with a Habano wrapped medium to full bodied cigar. A mild cigar won’t stand up to this.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
Ferdinand’s Bitters Sweet Symphony Red Vineyard Peach Hops
Ferdinand’s Bitters Sweet Symphony are devoted to the principal regional botanicals of the Saar Dry Gin of the same name. They emphasise the botanicals’ exceptional taste and the distinctive character of the Saar region in a highly concentrated form. They are the perfect aromatic enhancement for drinks and food.
The nose is all orange. The peach and the ripe forest fruits of the whisky complement each other, and make the whisky feel a bit more like late summer instead of autumn. The hops provide a nice, almost lager-like, dryness and freshness. The cocktail has enough sweetness, but still a kick before the bitters kick in. This is perfect for a Cameroon wrapper, a Cuesta Rey, Fuente Hemingway Short Story or an Oliva G series.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
Fee Brothers Toasted Almond Bitters
Fee Brothers is a 5th generation family business and their almost 200 years of history are too much to write about now, but if you are interested, the whole story is on their website. Fee Brothers Toasted Almond Bitters are perfect for tropical tiki-styled drinks, or to add a boost of flavour to Amaretto and coffee flavoured cocktails. These bitters have a lovely almond nose and a definite bitter edge to them that is in no way sweet. I am not sure if this is the right bitter for an Old Fashioned but we will find out soon.
There is a nuttiness to the orange aroma in the nose. The almonds make the old fashioned sweet and interesting. The bitterness works in the finish. The Toasted Almond Bitters is definitely changing the flavours of the cocktail. It adds sweetness, depth and richness with a creamy flavour. The flavours of the bitters enhance the sweetness and the flavours of the whisky. Because of the sweetness and the almond flavour I would go for a nutty cigar, that means something with either a Honduran Connecticut Shade wrapper or a Corojo wrapper. And when I think Corojo wrapper, I think of almost everything made at AGANORSA LEAF.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
Inspector X
