Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Angostura Tamboo

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 and liquors.

Angostura Tamboo

Recently I was invited to a tasting of Angostura’s new spiced rum, Angostura Tamboo. The global brand ambassador for House of Angostura, Daniyel Jones, was there to explain us all about the brand and especially the Tamboo spices rum. Now in the western world, spiced rum doesn’t have the best reputation, but in Trinidad & Tobago, where Angostura hails from, every house makes its own spiced rum and the Tamboo is a high-end spiced rum to honour that tradition. It uses spices, herbs and bark from local sources.

Neat

The colour of this spiced rum is very nice, with a golden amber hue. The aroma is wonderful. Warm, vibrant, rich with no ethanol at all. It has hints of apple, vanilla, toffee and dark spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Just smelling this rum makes you want to drink it. And boy, it does not disappoint. Marzipan sweetness, toffee and vanilla, it almost tastes like cake, countered by smoked cardamom and nutmeg. It is smooth with a medium long finish. Pair this with a medium bodied cigar is my suggestion. Something not very outspoken so the rum can be the star of the pairing. Maybe something like a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 or a Perdomo Champagne, Illusione Epernay or Indian Motorcycle Habano.

Tangerine Tango

At the event, we all got two cocktails to try, the Pineapple Samba and the Tamboo & Cola, and of course a shot of the neat stuff. But Angostura was kind enough to give me two more recipes and the first one is the Tangerine Tango

The nose has the character of the rum, but with added sweetness from the tangerine juice. It smells like a sweet cocktail from the tiki category. It tastes like one too, plenty of sweetness, slightly sour and all the spice, vanilla and toffee from the rum shows up as well. The bitters give the cocktail a little depth. This will go very well with most cigars, unless too strong or too mild. But anything from medium mild to medium strong will be very nice to pair with this cocktail.

And now for the Tangerine Tango recipe:
2 ounces or 60ml of Angostura Tamboo
1 ounce or 30ml of Tangerine Juice
½ ounce or 15ml of Lime Juice
¾ ounce of 22½ml of Simple Syrup
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice.

Pineapple Samba

With rum and pineapple, you are thinking Tiki, and yes this is a tiki cocktail but not as over the top as many other Tiki style drinks. The nose still has the characteristics of the rum, but with added sweetness from the pineapple and a little citrus from the lime. The pineapple flavour makes it Tiki but not like any other Tiki cocktail I tried. The sweetness and richness of the rum bring the cake, vanilla and toffee notes with added depth of the Angostura bitters, the lime brings extra freshness while the simple syrup balances the citrus out. The finish is for the cardamom. After drinking this cocktail, I know this rum will be a mainstay in my collection. I will pair this with a great Arturo Fuente Añejo, a nice Partagas D4 or any other medium full cigar. Even a Connecticut Broadleaf, with its sweet characteristics will work great with this cocktail.

And now for the Pineapple Samba recipe:
1 ounce or 30ml of Pineapple juice
2 ounces or 60ml of Angostura Tamboo
½ ounce or 15ml of lime juice, freshly squeezed
½ ounce or 15ml of simple syrup
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Add the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain in a Collins glass or a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Golden Swizzle

This cocktail requires a swizzle stick, as suggested by the name, but if you are handy with a bar spoon you can still make this cocktail. The nose still has the character of the rum, but hidden underneath the aroma of passionfruit and some mint. The cocktail looks festive and very tropical with the passionfruit puree. The passionfruit brings a bit of tart but also sweetness. The bitters give a bitter flavour and depth while the lime makes the cocktail pop. It’s a well balanced mix and a very tropical summer cocktail. Pair this with a stronger cigar, with a mild earthy flavour and you’re in heaven. I smoked this with a Pichardo Maduro that I found at the bottom of my humidor and it was a great match.

And now for the Golden Swizzle recipe:
1 ounce or 30ml of passionfruit puree
1 ounce or 30ml of lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 ounces or 60ml of Angostura Tamboo
8 mint leaves
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Put all the ingredients in a Collins glass with crushed ice and swizzle

Tamboo & Cola

This is very similar to a Cuba Libre but with a spiced rum and some added sweetness. I happen to love rum and I love cola, so this could be the perfect cocktail for me. The sweetness of the rum (add in more characters) combines well with the vanilla and cinnamon notes of the coca cola. the cocktail has a perfect balance between citrus, sweetness,
vanilla. You can taste all the components. The characteristics of both the Cola and the rum, with added acidity. The citrus demands an earthy cigar, medium to full in strength.

And now for the Tamboo & Cola recipe:
½ ounce or 15ml of simple syrup
½ ounce or 15ml of lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 ounces or 60ml of Angostura Tamboo
3 ounces or 90ml of premium cola
Put all the ingredients in a Collins glass with ice and stir gently. I suggest using Fever Tree Madagascan Cola for this. I didn’t have that so I used Coca Cola instead.

Inspector X