After hours

As a host, one of the most frequent questions you may get when offering your guests a cocktail is, “What kind of cigar goes with this?” It is a natural curiosity, because just as you select which wines to pour with dinner, the answer to pairing spirits and cigars is literally a matter of taste. But it goes beyond just drinking and smoking what you like.  Spirits and cigars have much in common, and it is important not only to recognise but also to capitalise on their similarities. For example, both are created from raw materials that are agricultural, where terroir plays an important role in the makeup of wheat, barley, and similar crops, as well as the composition of the different soils where tobacco is grown. In addition, both premium spirits and cigars are created from ingredients selected by master blenders, and then meticulously aged to perfection.

And finally, just as with wine and cuisine, spirits and cigars, with their wide ranges of flavours and strengths, have to complement each other; one should not dominate the other. Here, then, are seven combinations to help you answer that perennial spirit-and-cigar-pairing question.

Redemption Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey and Ashton La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse
The spirit: Aged for 8 years in the giant MGP distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, this 122-proof powerhouse is reminiscent of a spirit from the 1880s that might have been dipped with a ladle from a barrel in the Long Branch Saloon. It is a rollicking and bold example of a type of American whiskey that cattle barons once enjoyed, with notes of peppercorns and vanilla that open up when ice is added – something they didn’t always have in Dodge City.

The cigar: Made in Estelí, Nicaragua, in the My Father Cigars factory, this limited-edition cigar was brought back because of its popularity. The Ecuadoran Habano Rosado wrapper and Habano and Criollo double binders, plus the all-Nicaraguan fillers from Estelí, Jalapa, and Namanji combine to create a medium- to full-bodied smoke that works when the cask-strength rye is reined in with a splash of distilled water.

The Macallan 18-Year-Old Single Malt and Padrón 1926 Serie
The spirit: This dark, rich, and resiny single malt has become the epitome of what a 100 percent sherry-cask-matured whisky should look, smell, and taste like. Its deep amber colour reflects with ruby-gold highlights and foretells of dried autumnal fruit with underlying tones of apples, raisins, and apricots, accented by sherried tannins and a vintage port-like mouthfeel.

The Cigar: It takes a special cigar to befriend a meaty whisky such as the Macallan 18, without letting it get the upper hand. The all-Nicaraguan Padrón 1926, first brought out in 2002 to celebrate the 75th birthday of family patriarch José Orlando Padrón, is more than up to the task. Its rich, full flavours, derived from tobaccos grown on the Padrón family’s farms and then aged from 5 to 10 years, result in a full-bodied smoke that lingers as long as the finish of the Macallan 18.

Maestro Dobel Humito Smoked Silver Tequila and Partagas Aniversario
The spirit: This blanco is not a mezcal, although from its soft smoky underlying flavour one could easily be fooled. It is the inspiration of Maestro Dobel Tequila founder Juan-Domingo Beckmann, from the same family that brings us the much-heralded Casa Cuervo’s Reserva de la Familia every year. However, Humito – which translates to “little smoke” in English – replicates some of the Beckmann family’s artisanal methods from more than two centuries ago, using mesquite wood to imbue an extraordinary aroma and taste. Although the actual process is a secret, we suspect the mature agaves are smoked with Mexican mesquite while being roasted in traditional brick ovens, or hornos. It is a sweet smoke and suggests being served with a slice of cucumber rather than lime.

The cigar: One might think a milder cigar might have been chosen to accompany this tequila, but the smoked agave distillate has enough body and rounded smoke influences to warrant this limited-edition cigar, which was created last year to mark the 170th anniversary of the Partagas brand. The blend encompasses ligero and viso leaves from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua and a Connecticut Havano binder. However, the sophisticated spice of its 5-year-old Cameroon wrapper, grown and aged especially for the Aniversario, matches the crisp agave and soft smoke of the tequila.

D’Ussé XO Cognac  and Montecristo Espada Estoque
The spirit: This spirit possesses the mature character of a Cognac much older than the standard X.O. classification, which was recently raised from 6 years to a minimum of 10 years. D’Ussé XO is, in fact, made from no less than 100 different eaux-de-vie that have been aged from 10 to 30 years, all personally selected by cellar master Michel Casavecchia. One of the newest iterations from Bacardi’s ever-expanding portfolio, this Cognac pours with a dark, translucent hue that fills the senses with blackberries, apricots, and walnuts, with dark chocolate and hazelnut undertones and a thick, lingering finish.

The cigar: Made in Estelí by the legendary Nestor Plasencia, this Nicaraguan puro is named after the traditional curved-tip estoque de toreo sword used by matadors and incorporates tobaccos from three different growing regions. Most prominent in its flavour profile is the Cuban-seed viso Jalapa 2013 vintage wrapper taken from the topmost priming, which possesses some of the greatest depths of flavour. Two of the filler tobaccos also come from the 2013 harvest, complemented by a Criollo seco Jalapa 2002 binder. This elegantly wrapped cigar greets the X.O. Cognac like a handshake that is firm, yet friendly.

No. 209 Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Reserve Gin and Davidoff Winston Churchill
The spirit: Gin does not necessarily have to be clear, as evidenced by the pale reddish hue of this San Francisco–made gin from the 209th registered distillery in the United States (hence the gin’s 209 name). It is a unique take on a centuries-old spirit. Distilled five times – first in an alembic copper pot still and then going through multiple distillations in a column still – the gin emerges crisp and bright. Then it is aged for up to 7 months in carefully selected French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Rudd Oakville Estate in Napa Valley, giving it a spicy, berrylike countenance.

The cigar: One has to be cautious when selecting a cigar to accompany a light spirit, even if the gin has been aged in red wine barrels. The tendency is to tread too lightly, which can permit the gin to take over. But this Dominican blend, while on the medium-mild side with its Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, keeps pace admirably.

Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum and Matilde Renacer
The spirit: This is one of the most complex-tasting Venezuelan rums, with heavy notes of caramelised brown sugar and dark, juicy fruits. Distilled from predominantly sugarcane honeys, and using a double distillation process that employs ancient copper pot stills, the spirit is then aged for up to 12 years in a combination of bourbon and malt whiskey casks. The result is a dark, sophisticated rum made for a snifter.

The cigar: This old Dominican brand dates from 1876 and went out of business in 1910. However, it has been resurrected by José Seijas, the retired vice president and general manager of the Tabacalera de García factory in La Romana. Assisted by his two sons, Enrique and Ricardo, Seijas has rebranded the company Tabacalera Matilde and has updated the revised blends. The Renacer (Spanish for “rebirth”), with its Dominican and Nicaraguan filler and dark, oily Ecuadoran Habanos wrapper, is a semisweet and floral smoke with subtle coffee and spice notes, all of which play against the rum’s complexity.

Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 22-Year-Old Bourbon and  Arturo Fuente Hemingway
The spirit: The adage that things mellow with age is evidenced by this gently muscular whiskey from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co., a concept coined by Diageo – the largest spirits conglomerate in the world – for small-batch, long-forgotten bourbons discovered aging in barrels from historic and sometimes extinct distilleries. Last year Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 21-Year-Old followed the previous 20-Year-Old version, all of which were distilled in 1993 at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Their signature sweet tobacco and leather characteristics have now developed a suede-like smoothness with the just-released Rhetoric 22-Year Old.

The cigar: The rich, spicy Cameroon wrapper of this Dominican cigar, with its medium-full-flavored Dominican fillers plays well alongside the rise of cedar and apple notes that have developed in the 22-year-old continuation of the bourbon.