Cigar & Rum Pairing
As you may remember, in the past I’ve created classic cocktail recipes using tea, so this is nothing new. This time, however, the ingredients are very easy to replace, so that you can experiment with what you have at home, possibly surpassing the results of my pairing, which I describe below.
I started by selecting a black tea, a classic Ceylon one, something that can easily be found at home. I prepared a standard cup of tea, nothing special, just try not to boil the water. Rest the tea in the water for no more than 5 minutes and then place the cup in the refrigerator until it is very cold.
Once the tea is chilled, we are ready to select the rum. Since we know that the tea will impart a distinctive bitterness, I took a gamble and opted for a sweetened rum, such as Diplomático or Zacapa 23, both of which would balance this cocktail perfectly.
Finally, to complete the ingredients, I needed a Vermouth Rosso, a basic one will work fine, so I grabbed the one we use at the bar, a Martini Rosso, but you can easily substitute it with any other Vermouth of similar quality and/or price.
For the cocktail we’ll use a Martini glass, a classic presentation for cocktails where the leading alcohol dominates the profile. In this glass we’ll attempt to balance the rum with the rest of the ingredients.
- 3 oz. Zacapa 23
- 3 oz. Ceylon Tea
- 1 oz. Vermouth Rosso
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker or in a mixing glass if you don’t have a cocktail shaker. It is important to keep all ingredients cold, including the Martini glass.
For my cocktail I used an orange peel, since the oils from the orange mix extremely well with the rum.It is now time to taste the cocktail and the flavor is amazing, a perfect balance between sweetness and bitterness, that makes the cocktail exceedingly drinkable from the first sips.
Now we are ready to pair the cocktail with a cigar and I selected a present from a friend of mine who loves all good things in life. He worked for me during many years but now he is working as a sommelier for many famous stores and restaurants in Santiago.
The cigar was an Arturo Fuente Churchill Gran Reserva (48 x 7 ¼) with natural wrapper and a medium body, which offered us the perfect intensity for the pairing, without overpowering the flavors. The cigar I selected is a bit long, but I have no problem at all preparing a second cocktail!
It is possible that by changing some of the ingredients in the cocktail recipe you’ll change the outcome a bit, but as long as the rum is reasonably sweet (avoiding rum liqueurs), you should be able to maintain a good balance. If the rums you have at hand are not sweet enough, you can sweeten the tea instead, to respect the spirit or the cocktail.
It takes time to enjoy a good cigar and you’ll cherish every minute of it if you are able to pair it with a well-balanced cocktail that is tailor-made to your own preferences.
I hope that you enjoy this pairing, if it is very cold where you are, please consider substituting the cigar with a much shorter one.
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
