Light Combat

Time has passed since the last time I was able to smoke: I suffered from an upper respiratory illness that prevented me from doing the things I enjoy the most, like, smoking and drinking rum.

Cuerovaca, a very classy steakhouse, with a long story, located in Vitacura, Santiago, Chile.

The activity was for a group of 12 members and the idea was to experiment with a two-part pairing.

Part one would consist of Rum and a cigar from Casa Magna Colorada (5 ½ x 52), a medium-bodied Nicaraguan cigar produced by Plasencia S.A.  Casa Magna is the result of a collaboration between two industry greats: Manuel Quesada (Quesada Cigars) and Nestor Plasencia (Plasencia Cigars). The plan is to pair the first third of the cigar with a Rum Old Fashioned (I chose Havana 7 from Cuba) and then the second third with the same rum, but this time neat.

Part two would consist of Bourbon and a Rigoleto (6 x 54) from Fuller Cigar, a box-pressed cigar from the Dominican Republic, with a medium-high body.  For this pairing I selected a Whiskey Bulleit Bourbon Old Fashioned for the first third and the same Bourbon neat for the second third, just like we planned for the Rum.

Of the two, the first pairing could be considered better balanced, the only difference with the Bulleit Old Fashioned was that I instructed the bartenders to refresh the glasses with an espresso.  A single shot was enough to transfer from one glass to another, leaving behind hints of coffee for the cocktail.  The use of coffee resulted in the balance of flavors, since the Casa Magna Colorado had very classic coffee and wood notes and the idea was to bring the Old Fashioned to the same level and that is exactly what happened.

Halfway through smoking the cigar, it was time to switch to the rum on the rocks.  What is the reason behind this switch?  What we want is to invigorate the pairing at a time when the cocktail is loosening its strength due to all the melting ice and, conversely, the cigar’s intensity is increasing.  All the pieces fall into place so that we can continue with the pairing.

As we move to the second cigar, the procedure remains the same, except that now the pairing is carried out with the classic preparation for the Old Fashioned, without the touch of coffee, to avoid incorporating the oak and sweet notes similar to those of brown sugar.  This is, without a doubt, a classic cocktail that has inspired me to make versions of it using Rum.  I have tried with many rums, some work better than others, but it is hard to beat the classic Old Fashioned.

The Rum Old Fashioned recipe for this event is as follows:

  • 2 oz. Rum Havana 7 Year Old
  • 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
  • Espresso (only for the Rum version of the Old Fashioned)

We then use the same recipe with the Whiskey instead of the Rum, skipping the coffee.  Also keep in mind that the serving size for both the Rum and the Whiskey on the rocks cannot exceed 2 oz., otherwise the amount of alcohol in this paring becomes excessive.

To summarize, it was a simple exercise which should be easy for readers to replicate at home.  Participants can witness firsthand the evolution of the pairing, based on the selected cigars and the timing of the smoking.

I’ve conducted pairings like this one in many different establishments, but the performance of the bar staff at Cuerovaca was clearly a step above: they prepared and served everything on time and, despite the fact that my instructions to them may appear to be simple, they followed them to the letter all while also running the restaurant with its regular clientele.  I can say that it was one of the best executed pairings I have done.

One of the measures of success in these pairings is the type of conversations that take place among the participants.  In this pairing we touched on both high-technical and trivial topics related to the distilled spirits industry.  Time flies when you add good cocktails and cigars to excellent conversations, it is very enjoyable.

You do not need to gather a very large group of friends in order to recreate a pairing like this one at your home.  All you need is a friend, a cocktail and then the main spirit from the cocktail served on the rocks.  You can then share your opinions about which stage of the cigar paired best with which drink and, even if there is no consensus, the enjoyment comes from the experience itself.  I hope that you can enjoy it with your friends, just like I did with mine.

Cheers!

Philip Ili Barake

#GRCigarPairing