Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – The Bitter Truth Traveler’s Set
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 my friends and I 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 a 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 Cocktail Bitters were specifically designed for recreating classic drinks made true to the original recipe or for experimentation with modern cocktail creations. Their bitters are made the traditional way using only the best quality natural ingredients. The Bitter Truth bitters have received multiple awards and will continue to innovate the bar world. It all started during a visit to the London Bar Show in June 2006. At that show, Munich bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck gave birth to the idea of producing and distributing cocktail bitters, as they were hard to find in Germany or elsewhere if at all.
Both of them had already gained a considerable amount of experience in producing handmade cocktail bitters for the bars they were working at. Also, Stephan owned a large collection of current and historical bitters, some of which hadn’t been produced for decades. Thus, he knew how the most well-known bitters of the world tasted and was considered a specialist in this area.
Their criteria for the choice of flavours was mainly provided by old cocktail recipes that could no longer be mixed true to the original because one crucial ingredient had been missing – the correct bitters. The company sells nice tins with five bitters under the name Cocktail Bitters Traveler’s Set and Cocktail Bitters Bar Pack. I bought both, plus bottles of the two Bitter Truth bitters that are not included in either pack but for today’s article I will focus on the Traveler’s Set.
The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters
Aromatic bitters are the most classic of all bitters going back to the late 18th-century. They are by far the most widely used bitters since the early days of bartending and play a significant role in the history of cocktails. The Old Fashioned or the Manhattan Cocktail wouldn’t have been the same without a few dashes of aromatic bitters.
The Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters are unsurpassed in the complexity of flavour with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and anise permeate prominently. The aroma is full of clove and heady with gingerbread combined with the more subtle tutti-frutti notes.
The nose is all orange, due to the garnish. I used Jameson Irish whiskey by the way, and will do so for all the five bitters from this travel pack. The cocktail is the classic Old Fashioned. To be honest, there isn’t much difference between an Old Fashioned with Angostura Aromatic Bitters or the Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters. Sweet, with a drying finish due to the bitters and the smooth taste of the Jameson. Versatile, and anything except a very mild or a very strong cigar will pair well with this version of the Old Fashioned.
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 Celery Bitters
A lost ingredient. Extinct for decades. Now revived to please the most discriminating palates. The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters were the first celery bitters commercially available in decades and have won 2010 “Best New Cocktail Ingredient” at Tales of The Cocktail, New Orleans.
This cocktail ingredient, which had already existed in the 19th-century, enriches cocktails with unusual savoury flavours. The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters have a rich bouquet of white grapes, Sencha tea, lemongrass, celery leaf, and fresh ginger root. It dances artistically on the tongue as well, adding coriander seed, fresh celery, and chicory to the foray.
The nose doesn’t differ any from a normal Old Fashioned as the orange is dominant. The cocktail tastes less sweet, the celery from the bitters really shines and gives the Old Fashioned a special flavour. It makes the whisky taste spicier and less smooth. It makes this version of the Old Fashioned more suitable for a woody, medium full to full bodied cigars such as L’Ateliers LAT series or a Bolivar Royal Corona.
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 Creole Bitters
Creole equals flavourful, and these bitters are as unique as the culture it encapsulates. These bitters smell like a kitchen in the French Quarter.
The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters are reminiscent of a style of bitters dating back to an era before cocktails even existed. Back then, bitters were made by doctors and apothecaries, primarily for the use in liquid tonics and then eventually as an ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters reflect the Creole way of life with all its beautiful complexity and spiciness. With the first taste, cayenne and pink peppercorns emerge, supported by anise, big red cinnamon, dusky caraway, and fennel seed. Fruit scents of dried apricots, cherries, and cranberries are mingling with the strong flavours of anise, smoked paprika, and hints of smouldering pine wood.
The vintage metallic label is hiding fiery anise, cherry red-coloured liquid. Try it in your favourite Manhattan, Old Fashioned, French 75, or for that matter, any drink that could do with perking up. Put on a brass band march and get your feet moving!
The nose, not surprisingly, is all orange. The cocktail tastes like Jameson but with a slightly bitter and dry finish with a fruity and aniseed flavour. It’s pretty interesting and a nice alternative for aromatic bitters. There is some spice too and that’s why I suggest a nice maduro or Connecticut Broadleaf cigar. Cohiba or Partagas Maduro when you want to smoke Cuban, or just about any Maduro or Connecticut Broadleaf from Nicaragua, Honduras or the Dominican Republic.
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 Jerry Thomas Bitters
The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters is based on a recipe by Professor Jerry Thomas (1830-1885), who is considered the most important bartender of the 19th-century.
Although we are not sure if he would know what cider candies smell like since we don’t know if they existed in the 1860s. He might recognize, however, crystallized ginger and the oils of fresh tangerine and almonds seeping through. We`re sure he’d have known that it tastes of dried fruit with a finish of orange peel and a light sprinkling of Angostura bark. Of course, the original recipe was not slavishly reproduced, but its formula was improved to comply with today’s legal requirements and discerning taste demands.
This homage is as characterful as its namesake was, so join in, get experimental and doff your hat to the man who brought us the first-ever published cocktail book: Jerry Thomas, formerly the principal bartender at the Metropolitan Hotel, New York, and the Planters House, St. Louis.
The nose is slightly orange. The bitters give the cocktail a drying sensation, with a more bitter taste than any of the other bitters so fat. It gives the Old Fashioned a bit of a bite. This version of the Old Fashioned needs a slightly sweet cigar, something with a maduro or Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
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 Orange Bitters
Orange bitters were the natural successor of aromatic bitters when new distillation methods led to a lighter type of spirit. The first orange bitters were released in the 1880s, a time when many classic cocktails such as the Martinez and Manhattan were created. Today they are still the most versatile bitters and essential for the preparation of a Dry Martini Cocktail.
The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters are a combination of sweet and bitter orange peel, several herbs and spices macerated in alcohol. A traditional marmalade scent sets off act one of The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters on the nose. This is followed by delicate notes of spices like sweet cinnamon and nutmeg. At first taste, cardamom and caraway make an entrance and then bow out with true orange peel oil. The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters supports the character of the traditional Dry Martini Cocktail and pairs well with any other type of spirit or liqueur.
The nose is orange, which is no surprise. The orange flavour is quite strong too, it’s very nice and goes well with the smooth Jameson whisky. The sugar provides enough sweetness to make this cocktail very easy to drink. I paired it with an Oliva Serie V Figurino and that was a joy.
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
