Christmas Cocktails and Cigar Pairings
Cigars and fine liquor are a natural pairing, enhancing each other’s complexity and depth. Whether it’s a rich whisky, a smooth rum, or a refined cognac, the right drink can elevate the cigar experience, and vice versa. This synergy is so profound that some cigar brands take it a step further, aging their tobacco in liquor barrels to infuse their cigars with unique flavours.
Several iconic collaborations between cigar and liquor brands have emerged from this shared passion for craftsmanship. Maker’s Mark, for example, offers cigars housed in their signature wax-sealed tubes, while Drew Estate has partnered with Pappy Van Winkle and even crafted Kahlua-flavoured cigars in the past. General Cigars has teamed up with Sazerac, resulting in creations like Fireball cigars and Weller by Cohiba, alongside partnerships with Buffalo Trace. Diesel’s Whisky Row cigars, produced in collaboration with Rabbit Hole Distilleries, are another fine example of this harmonious relationship.
Cuban cigars have also embraced this trend, with Cohiba famously collaborating with Martell Cognac. In Europe, Dominique London, a luxury retailer, has gone even further by acquiring a distillery in Wales, producing their own whisky, gin, rum, and other liquors to pair with their cigars.
Pairing cigars with liquor creates a world of possibilities for the discerning connoisseur, allowing both the cigar and the spirit to shine through their complementary flavours. This rich tradition continues to inspire new partnerships and innovations, providing endless enjoyment for enthusiasts.
Christmas Cocktails and Cigar Pairings
Milk & cookies. That combination is almost synonymous with Santa Claus. But Santa is an adult, doesn’t the man deserve a nice adult beverage, especially when he’s out in the cold all night, working his butt off to supply all the children (and most adults) gifts? So this year, let’s make it special for Santa and instead of those obligatory milk & cookies, leave him a nice Christmas cocktail with an accompanying cigar. That should get you off the naughty list.
Brandy Alexander
The Brandy Alexander was a darned popular drink during the ’70s. It’s obviously a pimped-out version of the classic—but largely forgotten—Alexander cocktail and mixes brandy instead of gin with creme de cacao and cream. One of the earliest known printed recipes for the Alexander can be found in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks.” The cocktail, according to historian Barry Popik, was likely born at Hotel Rector, New York City’s premier pre-Prohibition lobster palace. The bartender there, a certain Troy Alexander, created his eponymous concoction in order to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow.
I made this cocktail before, with the exact same ingredients. Dominique London Privee cognac and Marsette Peruvian Chocolate Essence but you can choose any cognac or brandy and any dark crème de cacao. I loved it so much, that I decided to make the cocktail again, this time for the cognac pairing. The nose has the characteristics of the cognac, but muted, with dark chocolate shining through. There is a hint of the nutmeg. This cocktail is a boozy chocolate milk. I would not pair this with a strong or peppery cigar. Since it’s Christmas and a barberpole cigar looks a bit like a candy cane, I would go for a Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines with this cocktail.
And now for the Brandy Alexander recipe:
45ml of Cognac
30ml of Dark Chocolate liqueur
30ml of cream
garnish: grated nutmeg
Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with some grated nutmeg
Under The Mistletoe
The winter holidays are a time for festive cheer, filled with delicious food, decorated trees, family gatherings, and—if you’ve stayed off the naughty list—even presents. Some celebrations might also include mistletoe, a symbol now associated with holiday kisses but historically used as a cure-all and a symbol of fertility. While you don’t need to know its history to enjoy the Under the Mistletoe cocktail, sharing the story could entertain your guests as you prepare this refreshing drink.
Created at Big Bar in Chicago, this cocktail captures the spirit of Christmas with its vibrant flavours. It begins with muddled cranberries and oranges in simple syrup, releasing the cranberries’ tartness and the oranges’ sweet, citrusy notes. This fresh base is enhanced with gin, cranberry juice, and a splash of club soda. The finishing touch? A festive garnish of a thyme sprig and fresh cranberries.
The nose is mostly cranberry. But flavour wise it’s a lot of juniper from the gin, with the cranberry just as a refreshing supporting flavour, mellowed out by the soda water. The juniper flavour would made this a great pairing with medium bodied cigar with a wooden flavour palate.
And now for the under the mistletoe recipe:
4 Cranberries
2 Orange half wheels
15ml of simple syrup
60ml of London Dry Gin
Cranberry juice to top
Club Soda to top
Muddle the cranberries and orange with the simply syrup in a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice, add the gin and top up with 2 parts cranberry juice and 1 part chilled club soda.
Bourbon Milk Punch
The Bourbon Milk Punch brings together bourbon, whole milk, simple syrup, and vanilla extract for a rich and indulgent cocktail. A sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg on top adds warm, aromatic notes to each sip. Think of it as Eggnog without the egg—a creamy and comforting classic.
To achieve the drink’s signature texture, whole milk is essential. Using low-fat or skim milk will result in a thinner, less satisfying experience, better suited to cereal than cocktails. Stick to full-fat milk for the decadence this drink deserves.
The nose has notes of the bourbon but with vanilla. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy. Decadent, milky with vanilla and all the notes of bourbon. The mild doesn’t add much flavour wise, but it does a lot for the texture of the drink. And due to the creaminess, I would pair this with a creamy cigar as well, double up on that rich feeling.
And now for Bourbon Milk Punch recipe:
60ml of Bourbon
90ml of Whole milk
30ml of Simple Syrup
2 dashes of vanilla extract
Add bourbon, whole milk, simple syrup and vanilla extract into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks glass
Secret Santa Handshake
I found this recipe on the Make & Drink youtube channel, but I swapped the Fernet Branca for Averno as I didn’t have Fernet Branca available. The funky notes of the rum pair well with the bittersweet aroma of the averno and the vanilla from the syrup. Even though there’s only a little bit of vanilla syryp in the drink, the flavour of vanilla sticks out over the funky notes of the rum and the sweet pineapple juice. The chocolate notes and the bitterness of the averno create the perfect backdrop for these flavours to play.
And now for the Secret Santa Handshake recipe:
22½ml Pineapple Juice
15ml Lime Juice
7½ml Vanilla Syrup
15ml Crème de Cacao
15ml Averno
60m Rum
Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a rock glass filled with crushed or pebbled ice and top with more ice.
Inspector X
