Fall

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                                               Fall

Now that fall has arrived, people are enjoying more time on the patios.  Although cool/cold outside at times, smokers can now enjoy their cigars with better weather.  For this reason I decided to create a simple cocktail, one I’ve used before, but an excellent fit for this climate.  I am referring to the Rum Espresso Martini.  The recipe is simple, you just need to have a cocktail shaker at hand.

The proportions are below, keep in mind that if you don’t have any of these ingredients you can substitute them for others.  Just like the promo for Papa John’s “better ingredients, better pizza,” the same applies to cocktails: if you use better products, you may be surprised by how well-balanced the result is.

                                            Rum Espresso Martini

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz. 10 Cane Rum
  • 2 oz. Coffee Liqueur
  • 2 oz. Espresso Coffee (cool or chilled)

Directions:

  1. Make sure you’ll have a Martini glass that will fit the above combined volume.  
  2. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add a couple of ice cubes, shake for 20 seconds and pour into a chilled Martini glass.  
  3. There should be a bit of foam on top, you may optionally add a couple of roasted coffee beans as garnish.

Regarding the cigar, I selected a Coloniales from Trinidad de Cuba (44 x 132).  If you don’t have access to this particular one, you may select a Dominican Republic “puro,” as long as the intensity/body is medium and a smoking time that does not exceed 30 minutes.  This cigar is delicious among the Cubans, with a medium body and usually with a very good draw.  It takes its name from a port city in Cuba, where a friend of mine says that time stands still.  I hope you are able to visit it someday.

Some of you may be asking why I selected a rum that is hard to find in the market.  The answer is that since we are replacing the spirit in the original recipe (a vodka) with a rum, we want a rum that will mix well with the other ingredients but that will also leave you with a nice aftertaste, which 10 Cane does wonderfully.

If you use an agricole rhum, pay attention to the ABV and adjust the volume, to avoid having an off-balanced cocktail at the end.

The pairing is very well-balanced and the cigar is very easy to smoke.  The coffee flavor is excellent and goes extremely well with the creamy and oaky notes from the tobacco, resulting in a pairing that is refreshing and very approachable.  I am not joking when I say that this pairing is easy to enjoy, time flew by for me and I really recommend it for all to try.  

I hope you can recreate it with these or similar ingredients, please post your results on-line with hashtag #grcigarpairing so I can see your results!