Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Dom Benedictine

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.

Dom Benedictine

Bénédictine is a renowned French herbal liqueur, first created in the 19th century by wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand. Infused with a complex blend of 27 flowers, berries, herbs, roots, and spices, it has remained a staple in the world of fine spirits.

In 1863, Le Grand developed the recipe with the assistance of a local chemist, drawing inspiration from old medicinal formulas he had acquired from a religious foundation linked to his family. To enhance its market appeal, he crafted a romanticised origin story, claiming that Bénédictine had been created by Benedictine monks at the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy and produced there until the abbey’s destruction during the French Revolution. He reinforced this narrative by incorporating the Latin abbreviation “D.O.M.” (“Deo Optimo Maximo” – “To God, most good, most great”) on the bottle’s label, a phrase traditionally used by the Benedictine Order.

Bénédictine changed hands in 1986 when it was acquired by the Martini & Rossi group, which was later bought by Bacardi in 1992 for a reported $1.4 billion.

By 2010, the brand had seen a major shift in its market distribution. While in 1982, 85% of Bénédictine production was exported and only 15% was consumed in France, by 2010, domestic popularity had grown significantly. Today, its largest markets include the United States, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Neat

The liqueur has a nice copper amber colour even though it’s clear. The aroma has some honey, citrus, cardamom, cedar and some herbs. The liqueur is warming, with honey sweetness but heat from ginger, some freshness from citrus. Add dark spices like clove, cardamom and even saffron and you get this liquid. The aftertaste has some mocha notes, vanilla fudge and gingerbread. The finish is long. But what to smoke with it? Something woody I guess.

Good Cork

A clever wordplay on the name of the Irish city Cork and the cork often used to close bottles of wine or liquor. This cocktail is created by veteran New York bartender Phil Ward, who has a bunch of modern classics on his name.

The cocktail has a nose of citrus, cardamom and other herbs and botanicals from the Dom Benedictine added with the smoky agave notes of the mezcal. This is a nice cocktail if you like spirit forward cocktails. You can taste the mezcal, you can taste the benedictine, you can taste the whiskey, and you can taste the bitters, yet combined it tastes good too. All ingredients are recognizable but work together as well. This will go well with a nice, slightly sweeter cigar, medium bodied or stronger.

And now for Good Cork recipe:
30ml Irish pot still whiskey
30ml Mezcal
15ml Benedictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Add everything in a mixing glass and stir. Pour over fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with an apple slice.

Brass Rail

This cocktail is adapted from a recipe by Tony Abou-Ganim, inspired by his late cousin Helen David’s love of a nightcap after special occasions—her favourite being Bénédictine. In her honour, Tony named the drink after her bar, the Brass Rail in Port Huron, Michigan. Helen’s legacy also lives on through the Helen David Spirit Award, which recognises lifetime achievements at the annual Tales of the Cocktail festival.

The cinnamon garnish is dominant on the nose, with a hint of the orange. The egg white makes the cocktail have texture. The notes of the rum, Angostura 7 years old in this case, mix well with the herbal notes of the benedictine, while the lemon adds freshness. It’s all balanced by the simple syrup. It’s a nice cocktail. Not too sweet, not too tart, slightly savoury. Great for a medium bodied cigar, either with a Habano wrapper of with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The Habano will pair well with the herbal and savoury notes, where the broadleaf would bring some sweetness.

And now for the Brass Rail recipe:
50ml Aged Rum
15ml Benedictine
15ml Lemon juice
10ml Rich simple syrup
1 egg white
1 dash orange bitters
Shake all the ingredients vigorously without ice. Add ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled coupe. Flame an orange zest over the glass and add some ground cinnamon

Monte Cassino

This cocktail is adapted from a drink created in 2010 by Damon Dyer at Louis 649 in New York City, which won the Bénédictine 500th Anniversary Cocktail Competition. It is named after Monte Cassino, a historic hill southeast of Rome, Italy, where St. Benedict of Nursia founded the Benedictine Order around 529. The hilltop monastery, destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II, was later rebuilt and reconsecrated by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

With two herbal liqueurs in the mix, it’s no surprise that the nose has plenty of herbal notes, combined with lemon and there is an almost honey-like aroma as well. The herbal flavours shine through in the flavour as well, with a spicy kick from the rye, balanced by the lemon. It’s unique, it is tart but not too tart, it has a kick and both liqueurs bring enough sweetness for a balanced cocktail. I would pair this with a nice maduro wrapped cigar for a little bit of extra sweetness.

and now for the Monte Cassino recipe:
22½ml Rye
22½ml Benedictine
22½ml Lemon juice
22½ml Yellow Chartreuse
Shake all the ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Singapore Sling

The Singapore Sling is a gin-based cocktail originating from Singapore, famously associated with the Raffles Hotel. Believed to have been created between 1899 and 1915 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at the hotel’s Long Bar, it was initially known as the Gin Sling. Some accounts suggest Ngiam designed the drink to resemble fruit juice, making it socially acceptable for women to consume alcohol in public. However, historian David Wondrich argues that the cocktail dates back to the 1890s and wasn’t linked to Raffles until the 1920s.

The exact original recipe remains uncertain, as it was lost after the 1930s when the hotel ceased serving it. Cocktail historian D.A. Embury noted that no two published recipes were identical. A 1936 visitor’s note helped reconstruct the modern version, which The Times described as a mix of gin, cherry brandy, and orange, pineapple, and lime juices.

Despite variations in its recipe, the Singapore Sling remains a signature drink at Raffles Hotel. The Long Bar serves between 800 and 1,200 slings daily, with the cocktail generating approximately S$15 million in annual revenue—accounting for 70% of the bar’s total earnings. And this is probably the reason why Singapore is in the top three countries for Benedictine consumption.

This cocktail is beautifully balanced. It has fruity flavours to make it tropical  and complex with just enough gin to add a spirituous bite. I would pair this with a nice medium bodied Dominican cigar. The Buffalo Ten by Artista Cigars for example.

and now for the Singapore Sling recipe:
45ml London Dry gin
15ml Cherry brandy
7½ml Benedictine
2½ml Grenadine
45ml Pineapple juice
15ml Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a sling glass. Garnish with pineapple and a cherry.