Photo Credit: Danna Bordalí
August 2015- Cigar and Rum Pairing
Philip Ili Barake, Cigar Sommelier and writer for "Got Rum?" magazine invites David Perez,a Spanish friend who has been living in Chile for many years, for a pairing of Ron Centenario 20 Aniversario rum from Costa Rica with his all time favorite Nicaraguan Cigar, Liga Privada Unico Feral Flying Pig from Drew Estate.
Speakeasy Experience
After a month full of complications, seeking the perfect place where I could smoke a cigar, I finally found what I was looking for: Red Luxury Bar, in Patio Bellavista, Providencia, Santiago (Chile). The bar is located in an area full of bars and restaurants, very popular. You arrive through what appears to be an un-related bar, where they are playing live music. You keep walking until you get to a stair, you go up and reach a door. Upon knocking on the door, a small sliding window is opened and you are asked for a password, which you must have in order to gain access. In other words, a classical speakeasy bar, a concept that is very popular world-wide.
For this pairing I invited David Perez, a Spanish friend who has been living in Chile for many years. David has accompanied me before, you may recall a coffee and rum pairing we did a long time ago, with Ron Pampero Aniversario. We managed to do a great pairing that day, something we hoped to repeat for this pairing.
As I was saying, upon reaching the door atop the stairs, all you see from the person on the other side is the eyes, through the sliding window. Once inside, however, we had a table reserved and they were waiting for us with sparkling wine and a plate of Iberico ham, sliced and prepared by Jaime, the resident Maestro Jamonero (cured ham master).
Behind the bar you can usually find up to three bartenders, who work diligently, empowered by a mighty menu full of distilled spirits, which they use skillfully to produce classic and signature mixology.
For this pairing I selected Ron Centenario 20 Aniversario from Costa Rica, a bottle that is presented wrapped in a leather sleeve. The description states that the rum is a blend of rums up to 20 years old. The rum has a very low congener level, distilled from continuous column to a high proof level and, as far as the age, it is very similar to 7 to 12 year old rums that I’ve tried before. The rum has accentuated notes of caramel and vanilla, and a sweetness level that is along the lines of what mainstream consumers enjoy in their rums (which is high).
I had also reserved a special cigar for this pairing, something I brought back from my last visit to Cigar House in Puerto Rico. This is one of my all - time favorite cigars from Nicaragua, I am talking about Liga Privada Unico Feral Flying Pig, from Drew Estate, the cigar’s dimensions are ring 60 and 5-3/8” in length. This cigar format is very unique, due to the way the mouth piece is finished, rolled up and twisted to resemble a pig’s tail. The cigar’s composition includes a Connecticut Broadleaf-type Maduro Wrapper, Mata Fina Brasilero binder and Nicaraguan Filler.
As soon as we took the cigars out of their cellophane sleeves, we detected fine chocolate and concentrated cocoa emanating from our hands, with delicate coffee and leather notes. The combination was a veritable winner, even before lighting up the cigars!
We lit up the cigars using standard catalytic lighters, since the shape and manufacture of the cigar allow for a tight and even draw. Once lit, we started the pairing.
Much to our surprise, the first third of the cigar, which was already fabulous, paired up greatly with the rum, possibly due to the tobacco’s aggressive, dry chocolate notes, or the earthy and burnt citric notes, similar to those produced by a bartender who lights up the oils from the skins of citric fruits. It truly amazed us how well the rum and the cigar matched up.
As we neared the second third of the cigar, it was evident from the aggressive-yet manageable notes, that we were dealing with a medium to strong cigar. So in order to bring some freshness into the pairing, we added at that point an ice sphere to each of our rum glasses. The ice allowed for us to perceive more sweetness from the rum, also using more parts of our mouths and tongues. The finish of the rum was shortened by the ice, but the combination allowed us to balance it against the increasing strength of the cigar.
Even though my cigar was burning unevenly at times, it would soon correct itself and, at the end, my impression of the pairing was the same as David’s. This was definitely one of my 10 best pairings to date. I definitely recommend all my readers to try this, just remember to add the ice to the rum as you approach the second third, and everything will turn out just fine!
And keep in mind that you can write me any time with suggestions or questions about cigar and rum pairings. I will be more than happy to answer your questions and will be excited to work on your pairing ideas, so you can recreate them later at home, with your friends.
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
My name is Philip Ili Barake, Sommelier by trade. As a result of working with selected restaurants and wine producers in Chile, I started developing a passion for distilled spirits and cigars. As part of my most recent job, I had the opportunity to visit many Central American countries, as well as, rum distilleries and tobacco growers.
But my passion for spirits and cigars did not end there; in 2010 I had the honor of representing Chile at the International Cigar Sommelier Competition, where I won first place, becoming the first South American to ever achieve that feat.
Now I face the challenge of impressing the readers of “Got Rum?” with what is perhaps the toughest task for a Sommelier: discussing pairings while being well aware that there are as many individual preferences as there are rums and cigars in the world.
I believe a pairing is an experience that should not be limited to only two products; it is something that can be incorporated into our lives. I hope to help our readers discover and appreciate the pleasure of trying new things (or experiencing known things in new ways).