How to Pair Cigars with Drinks
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Cigars and drinks can be a winning combination when done right. There are many cigar aficionados who struggle to pair their drinks with their cigars in a way that best compliments each other.
If you are wanting to find the best drinks to pair with your cigars whether that’s a single malt whiskey or even beer there are unlimited options, but much like cigar blogs there are many that are not worth wasting your time with, so we’ve made it easy for you and created the following post.
Personal Taste
Just like choosing cigars, your personal preferences and tastebuds determine everything. Look to your palate for the answers you seek. In some ways refining your smell and taste is a skill to be mastered, with many spirit connoisseurs and cigar makers top in their fields for doing this.
Perhaps you have experienced this with an aficionado, simply by smelling and smoking a cigar they can give a detailed account for it, type of tobacco, where it came from, and even more. Similar to master distillers who can smell hints of different flavors within their barrels.
This doesn’t come easy and does take many years to even begin to master.
Cigar and Drink Pairing
There are a few classic pairings with cigars that you can’t get wrong and they are single malt whiskey, bourbon, cognac, rum, rye, and port. These are all dark spirits that complement the complex flavors of cigars nicely.
Excluding tequila, white spirits generally don’t mix well with cigars and they include vodka and gin. This is because cigars are overpowering of these light spirits.
The trick here is to choose a drink that won’t overpower the cigar and vice versa. It is also possible to match red wines and beers with cigars when done correctly. This takes some time to figure out but you can always try it out.
Pair the Cigar Type with the Drink Type
Although that may sound strange, if you have a light-bodied cigar then try to pair it with a light-bodied drink, for example, a white wine, blended scotch, and even a young red could work.
Medium-bodied cigars would work well with most Irish whiskey, rums, bourbons, and ports.
Full-bodied cigars are the perfect match for heavy, single malts.
Cigars and Beer
Not unheard of, cigar pairings with craft beers does work well. The judge is your tastebuds so if you love to drink beer and smoke a cigar you will eventually find that perfect combination.
Bottom Line
When it comes to cigar pairings with scotch and cigars there is no strict guide to follow. It all comes down to your taste buds and personal preferences so the best thing we can recommend is to try things out! If you happen to live near a cigar and whiskey bar then definitely check them out.
The staff should be able to provide you with the best pairing and you can always take that knowledge home with you. Just remember the biggest takeaway from this is to match your cigar body with the spirit/drink, ie. a light-bodied cigar will pair with a blended scotch, white wine, or young red.
Do you have a favorite drink and cigar combination? Leave a comment below!
Dan Stevenson
I have been smoking cigars for 30 years and counting, I started at 18 years old with mild Cubans and worked my way up to medium and now bold. I own 4 humidors, that I try to keep stocked at all times.
