Cigar & Rum Pairing
The construction work is almost complete, and we are beginning the application process for the operating permits, so I was determined to conduct the first pairing at the restaurant’s bar, which is a beauty that we rescued from the previous establishment. To this end, I brought from home all I needed for a simple, yet meaningful first pairing, one that would be remembered as the first ever.
For this pairing I brought a cigar I had been saving, a Rocky Patel Gold Label, it is a Toro (6 ½” x 54), produced by Tabacalera Villa Cuba SA (TABICUBA). It is box-pressed, with a Habano Ecuadorian wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan filler, from the Estelí and Jalapa valleys. The presentation and composition alone make you want to smoke it!
For the rum, I selected a Bacardi Gran Reserva Limitada, produced in Puerto Rico but bottled in Jacksonville on August 10th, 2017. It is a special black bottle, number 0857, with a batch number, something very popular now that gives bottles a certain degree of importance.
It is time to light up the cigar. A quick glance at the cigar reveals the typical color associated with this line: dark chocolate with very fine veins. Prior to this, one has to remove the cigar band that is emblematic of the Gold Label. I did a straight guillotine cut, but a V cut would have also been appropriate.
Once lit, the cigar showcases a balance between notes of powdered cocoa and cedar. Further into the first third, I perceived strong notes of black pepper. Not too long ago I was enjoying cured sausages (salames) from this area, which I think would be 100% perfect with this pairing.
I served the rum by itself, on ice, with a simple orange peel express (a “squirt”). The pairing was perfect, subtle, letting the tobacco lead the pairing all along.
The cigar burned perfectly, the draw was a bit tight at first, but it completely opened up during the second third.
Clearly this was a simple, yet memorable pairing, to inaugurate this beautiful bar on the southern end of the world. While I can smoke in the bar now because we are not open to the public yet, once we open I will do everything in my power to start a Cigar Club, the most Southern club in the world, so that we can develop new friendships and we can enjoy beautiful moments in this awesome place called Aima Restaurante.
As time goes on, I will conduct more pairings and, as soon as the local authorities grant us the permit for the Club, you’ll be the first to find out. You’ll be able to enjoy your holidays in this beautiful corner of the world, called Punta Arenas, and you’ll have unique rum cocktails and unmatched pairings not found anywhere else!
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
