The Best St Patrick’s Day Cigar & Spirit Pairings
Let’s change up St. Patrick Day this year and class it up a little. Don’t get hammered on green beer and Irish Bar Bombs, whilst dressed up like a leprechaun this year. Let’s just explore a few Candela cigars, of which some are specifically marketed for the most famous Irish national holiday and match them up with some Irish cocktails.
Angry Elf Candela with an Irish Coffee
Lets start the day with a full Irish breakfast, which consists of some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. There will also be toast, butter, marmalade, and lots of tea to drink. A heavy breakfast will prepare you for a day of drinking and smoking.
After breakfast it’s time for an Irish Coffee with the first cigar of the day. A Dominican cigar with a Candela wrapper and even though it looks like its marketed to St. Patricks Day with an angry elf on the band, it is not as the cigar is available with other wrappers too. For the Irish coffee, mix 4 ounces of hot coffee, 1 ½ ounce of Irish whiskey and two teaspoons of brown sugar together and top with some lightly whipped heavy cream.
Rocky Patel Mulligan Fairway Edition with a Whiskey Tonic
The next cigar comes from the wallet friendly golf-themed Mulligan series from Rocky Patel. The Fairway is the candela wrapped cigar in this line, and technically not a St. Patricks Day cigar but the green wrapper does fit the theme. And since it’s still early, we pair it with a whiskey tonic as it’s not too strong in alcohol. For the cocktail, just pour 2 ounces of Irish whiskey in a glass, add 4 to 6 ounces of tonic and a lemon wedge as garnish. Puff and sip away.
Don Lino Casa Verde with a Black Velvet
Don Lino deliver the goods with a shimmering green Candela wrapper in Casa Verde. Well-aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos lie beneath the grassy cover leaf in a classic Churchill shape. This bundle cigar pairs well with a Black Velvet, an Irish cocktail that consists of Guinness and champagne. For this cocktail you need 4 ounces of champagne and 4 ounces of chilled stout. Pour the whisky in a flute first and then slowly pour the stout in, which will sink to the bottom making a layered cocktail.
Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan with an Irish Dingle Berry
A yearly release that has been a popular St. Patrick’s Day classic since 2013, the Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan is a unique treat that you do not want to miss during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. In case you are unfamiliar, a barber pole cigar features two distinct wrappers that are intertwined up the length of the cigar in much the same way as a classic spinning barber’s pole.
The Irish Dingle Berry is slightly more work to make, so it’s time to make this cocktail now before you are too drunk to even prepare this drink. To prepare this drink, start by placing five blackberries, simple syrup, mint leaves, and a slice of lime in a large rocks glass. Lightly muddle the mixture four or five times. Next, pour in the Dingle Irish Whiskey and top it with club soda. Stir the mixture and then add ice. For garnish, place a lime slice on the rim of the glass and float the last blackberry on top of the ice.
Rocky Patel Edge Candela with Irish Eyes
The second Rocky Patel cigar on this list. From his best-selling Edge line, we choose the Candela version to stay on the subject. A nice green cigar that will go amazing with this creamy Irish Eyes cocktail.
To make this cocktail, start by gathering Irish whiskey, green crème de menthe liqueur, cream, and a maraschino cherry for garnish. Pour the Irish whiskey, green crème de menthe, and cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake the mixture well, then strain it into an old-fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry before serving and enjoying the drink.
Illusione Candela with Leprechaun Gold
If you ask me, this is the best Candela cigar on this list, and maybe even the best regular production candela cigar on the market. To make Leprechaun’s Gold, combine 1 ½ ounces of Irish whiskey, ½ ounce of orange liqueur, and 2 ounces of orange juice in a shaker filled with ice. Shake the mixture well, then strain it into a glass filled with ice. Finish by garnishing the drink with an orange twist.
Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan Shamrock with a Leprechaun Fart
Alec Bradley decided that the Filthy Hooligan as a two-tone barber pole wasn’t enough so they created the Shamrock as well, a barber pole with three different coloured wrappers. And Alec Bradley was right, because the annual limited edition is always sold out quick.
The Leprechaun fart is a shot, but a fun and layered shot. And perfect to end the day with a boom, although if you want to go out with a boom, an Irish Car Bomb might be better fitting (pun intended). The Leprechaun Fart is a concoction that makes you question why you would ever want it, yet you know you do. This fun twist on the “Duck Fart” blends Irish whiskey, Irish cream, and coffee liqueur, and it tastes surprisingly better than it sounds.
To make it, start by adding Kahlua to the bottom of a shot glass. Using the back of a spoon, slowly pour in Bailey’s Irish Cream to create the second layer. Finally, pour Irish whiskey over the back of the spoon to form the top layer. Layer each component slowly and carefully to ensure a fabulous-looking drink, perfect for your Instagram photo.
The morning after…
After all these cigars and cocktails you’ll probably wake up with a hangover. But the Irish wouldn’t be the Irish if they didn’t have a hangover cure in the shape of the pickle back. There are no secrets to a pickle back—it’s a shot of Jameson chased by a shot of pickle juice. You can get fancy with the brine or just grab the pickle jar in your fridge.
