Cigar & Rum Pairing
Tomorrow we celebrate labor day and it almost feels like it will be my birthday! I’m overwhelmed by my feelings and am convinced that I deserve a long break, or at least a day-long one.
Sales at the bar have not taken off as we expected, perhaps due to some factors we failed to identify or simply because we are already too worn out. Life as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry has always been tough, but these recent years have presented a lot more obstacles and many businesses have failed to survive. I don’t judge them anymore, I remember how easy it was to issue judgement when I was not a member of the industry.
In our case, we had spent months, actually longer than a year, not bringing enough income for the bar to survive. We kept thinking about when it would be our turn to shut down, we kept hoping for a qualified buyer and finally we were notified that one appeared. After almost eight years full of learning and great experiences, it was time to leave. There was a temporary shut down that allowed us to recharge our batteries prior to returning to wrap up.
For this reason, the date arrived when the pairing for “Got Rum?” was due and I hadn’t had time for a more elaborate pairing, but just because it is not elaborate it doesn’t mean that it is simple. Some things often turn out to be better when they are improvised, and I feel this was the case with this pairing.
I went to the warehouse where I kept special rums for tastings and pairing with good friends and I grabbed the bottle of Brugal Siglo de Oro. This is a bottle that was rarely served at the bar, perhaps because most people in this part of the world didn’t even know that it existed. I always thought that I would end up drinking the last of it, and I was right!
I arrived at the bar early to work on tasks related to the sale. I sat down on the terrace (which was still closed to the public). As people and cars passed by, some of them glanced at the solitary person who was drinking and smoking (with a very opulent-looking and very unusual bottle and cigar).
I took out of the humidor a Casa Magna Colorado (52 X 5 ½) with a wrapper that wasn’t maduro, but still much darker than the traditional Connecticut-share one. The strength was medium, with hints of coffee and sweetness that are classic signatures from Nicaraguan tobaccos.
Regarding the rum, this Siglo de Oro (“Golden Century” in English) celebrates the distillery’s 100 years. It is aged twice: the first 8 years in White American Oak, ex-bourbon barrels and an additional 8 years in new White American Oak barrels. It has sweet and very elegant vanilla notes that are subdued a bit when served on the rocks, which is an excellent way to consume it in a cigar pairing.
Pairings like this one are difficult to make. In one hand is a bottle like this one, saved for a special occasion and, in the other hand we have the actual reason behind the occasion. In this case, it was all about a good ending.
Cheers!
Philip Ili Barake
#GRCigarPairing
