Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Ravini Espresso

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.

Ravini Espresso

I like coffee liqueur, although I am not the biggest fan of Kahlua because of the sweetness. Kahlua is rum-based where my favourite coffee liqueur, Mr. Black is less sweet due to the base spirit vodka. Now, I prefer rum over vodka, but as a base spirit for coffee liqueur, rum is too sweet imho. So when I saw this Ravini Espresso liqueur at the supermarket chain Aldi, I simply had to pick up a bottle. It was dirt cheap, less than 10 euro for a 500ml bottle and it has an ABV of 15%. They also had a Latte Macchiato cream coffee liqueur, which tastes a lot like Bailey’s and from an online search I learned that there is a Capuchino version as well but there was no stock. Since there is no Aldi near me, I won’t be able to try that one.

The bottle shows an Italian flag and says Gusto Italiano, while the text at the back of the bottle mentions Italian joy of life, yet the liqueur is made in Friedeburg, Germany and most likely it’s a house brand for the Aldi chain as I can’t find it anywhere else online.

For this article, I’m only using two base cocktail recipes, starting with a black Russian. When you add one more ingredient it becomes a white Russian. Add one more and you’ll have the Colorado Bullfrog. The second base is the Mudslide (not the frozen version) and by adding banana liqueur it becomes another drink, the Gorilla Milk.

Neat

The nose is pure coffee, but thick and sweet, so a typical Kahlua style, sweet coffee liqueur. Just like the OG of coffee liqueurs, this drink is very sweet with coffee notes. Too sweet for my liking, but with a slightly stronger, very creamy cigar, this could be a decent pairing.

Black Russian

A cocktail first made in London before it went worldwide. Vodka doesn’t really have any aroma, so all I smell is the Ravini espresso liqueur, coffee and sweetness. The added vodka does give the drink a lot more kick than the neat liqueur and it lowers the sweetness too. But it’s bland, boring and very one-dimensional. If you want a coffee cocktail with vodka, you’re better off with an Espresso Martini. Drink this with something like the Casa Magna Robusto and you’re elevate the drink with the cigar.

And now for Black Russian recipe:
30ml Coffee liqueur
60ml Vodka
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in the Coffee liqueur and the vodka. Stir and garnish with a cocktail cherry.

White Russian

 A riff on the Black Russian, and made popular by The Dude from The Big Lebowski. It’s basically a Black Russian with some cream. It is slightly better and a little more interesting than the black version. The whipping cream I used, by lack of other cream, works with the coffee liqueur to create a mild chocolate flavour. Something I would enhance by smoking a Padron 1964, which also has chocolate notes.

And now for White Russian recipe:
30ml Coffee liqueur
60ml Vodka
15ml Cream
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in the Coffee liqueur and the vodka. Stir and the pour the cream on top.

Colorado Bulldog

 What do you get if you add cream to a Black Russian? Indeed, a White Russian! And what do you get when you top a White Russian with cola? The Colorado Bullfrog. So, if you are trying the Black Russian for the first time, make sure you have cream and cola too, so you can add ingredients in case you don’t enjoy the base.

You can smell the cola in the cocktail, but faintly. The cream is the other aroma, the vodka and espresso liqueur are non-existent in the nose. This is the best of the three in my opinion, but still not a cocktail I will make again. The mild cola flavour, with the cream and the slight bitterness of the coffee make up for an interesting flavour combination with a slight kick from the vodka. I would pick a medium full to full bodied cigar, bold in flavour but honestly, I think it’s hard to pick a cigar for this cocktail.

And now for White Russian recipe:
30ml Coffee liqueur
60ml Vodka
15ml Cream
Coca Cola to top
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in the Coffee liqueur and the vodka. Stir and the pour the cream on top. Then top the glass up with Coca Cola

Mudslide

 This is not the frozen version, or the fancy version with chocolate stripes, but a simple mudslide. There’s something odd with this cocktail; after shaking and straining the cocktail makes a sound like it’s a carbonated drink and the bubbles are being released. Yet there is nothing carbonated in there.

The nose is dominated by the latte macchiato. The latte macchiato, which tastes like a cheaper version of Bailey’s, is the strongest flavour in the cocktail with added sweetness from the Ravini coffee liqueur with a kick from the tasteless Smirnov vodka. Its mildly creamy, its sweet, it’s boring cocktail and the only interesting part is the strong chocolate flavour. It’s odd, as it tastes both like dark chocolate and milk chocolate. I would go for a stronger Habano cigar with this cocktail, but I doubt that I will ever make this cocktail again.

and now for the Mudslide recipe:
2 dashes of chocolate bitters
30ml Irish Cream (or Ravini Latte Macchiato)
30ml Coffee liqueur
30ml Vodka
Add all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain in coupe without any garnish.

Gorilla Milk

 This is the basically a riff on mudslide from above, but with banana liqueur and heavy cream and a slight adjustment in measurements. And of course, a different base spirit.

Surprisingly, there is some nuttiness in the aroma. No almond, so it’s not anything like amaretto, it’s more of a hazelnut aroma like a watered-down version of Nutella. It’s very interesting. This is the best cocktail of the bunch, like a sweet coffee and vanilla milkshake and a hint of hazelnut. I like it and this will go well with many cigars, as long as the cigar has some strength and is not too sweet. A Perdomo with a Habano wrapper, each of their lines, will work great for example.

and now for the Mudslide recipe:
30ml Heavy cream
15ml Irish Cream (or Ravini Latte Macchiato)
7½ml Coffee liqueur
15ml Banana liqueur
30ml Light rum
Add all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a hurricane glass over pebbled ice. Garnish with a slice of banana.