Ring in the New Year: Perfect Cocktail 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.
Ring in the New Year: Perfect Cocktail and Cigar Pairings
New Year’s Eve is a celebration of elegance, indulgence, and new beginnings, making it the perfect occasion to pair two timeless luxuries: exquisite cocktails and premium cigars. The right combination can elevate your festivities, creating a symphony of flavours to toast the year gone by and welcome the one ahead.
Whether you’re popping champagne at midnight or sipping on a classic Old Fashioned, there’s a cigar to complement every drink and enhance the experience. In this guide, we’ll explore the best pairings to ensure your New Year’s Eve is as sophisticated as it is unforgettable. Cheers to a night of style, flavour, and celebration!
Kir Royale
A good glass of wine is a comforting way to end (or start) your day. And if that wine happens to be Champagne or another sparkling variation, even better. But just because you’re drinking sparkling wine doesn’t mean you can’t also have a cocktail.
The colour looks great, and the nose carries the sweet characteristics of the crème de cassis, the lemon peel and the fruitiness of the sparkling wine. The texture feels a bit thick and sticky, it’s sweet and savoury at the same time, with the classic response of the mouth to a dry sparling wine. This cocktail would go well with a milder and slightly sweet cigar.
And now for the Kir Royale recipe:
15ml Crème de Cassis
Champagne to top
Lemon twist garnish
Pour de crème de cassis in a champagne flute, top with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.
Oaxacan Punch
Gone are the days when punches were little more than overly sweet bowls of fruit juice with a splash of alcohol. Today, large-format drinks have evolved into sophisticated creations featuring high-quality, innovative ingredients. A standout example is the Oaxacan Punch, crafted by award-winning bartender Tad Carducci, founder of the bar consultancy group Tippling Bros. This smoky, herbaceous punch combines equal parts mezcal and Averna with fresh grapefruit and lemon juices, agave nectar, and a splash of ginger beer for a complex and refreshing twist.
The mezcal is shining through the citrus on the nose and it provides a nice smoky backdrop to the fresh flavours of lemon combined with the bitterness of the Averno and grapefruit. The agave characteristics of the Mezcal are on the back of the palate and create depth to this fantastic punch. This is a very versatile cocktail to pair with cigars and I don’t think any cigar will be wrong. I paired it with a Plasencia Year of the Tiger and that was just divine.
And now for Oaxacan Punch recipe (recipe serves 10):
300ml Averno
300ml Mezcal
150ml Grapefruit juice
150ml Lemon Juice
75ml Agave Nectar
180ml Chilled water
1080ml Ginger Beer
10 Grapefruit slices
10 Lemon slices
Add the Averna, mezcal, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, agave nectar and chilled water into a punch bowl with a block of ice and stir gently to combine. Add the ginger beer and again stir gently to combine. Divide between 10 rocks glasses or punch cups. Garnish each glass with a grapefruit slice and a lemon slice.
Blushing Betsy
This is basically a bourbon old fashioned without the bitters but with grapefruit juice instead. And a little more than two dishes. The nose has plenty of grapefruit notes combined with the woody and vanilla notes of the bourbon. The grapefruit is overpowering the bourbon, although some vanilla notes shine through at the finish. The sugar cubes provide enough sweetness to balance the bitterness of the grapefruit. Pair this with a stronger cigar such as a Plasencia Alma Fuerte for example.
And now for the under the Blushing Betsy recipe:
½ Grapefruit
60ml Whisky
2 sugar cubes
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rind of the grapefruit into a long strip. Twist it so that it makes a cute curl shape. Juice the grapefruit. Set aside. Add the whiskey and sugar cubes to a rocks glass. With a cocktail muddler or handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the sugar cubes into the whiskey. Fill the glass with ice and top with the juice of the grapefruit. Place the grapefruit curl on the top and serve.
Inspector X
