The Drink for Your Cigar

All of us know that having a drink with your cigar is practically a necessity. But how do we determine which drink will go best with which cigar and vice versa? This is how The Stick Stickler will help you guys figure out which pairings make the best couple.

Beer:

When it comes to having a nice brew with your cigar, the rule of thumb is, “the lighter the smoke, the lighter the beer”. With this said, it would seem obvious that while sipping on a nice light pilsner and then taking a puff from a strong cigar that the cigar would completely overpower the beer, and this is true. If you want to accompany a strong robusto cigar with a drink, you need to make sure to pair it with a dark Belgian or dark craft beer. A good trick to ensure that you are getting both the taste from the cigar and your brew is to cleanse your palate with a swig of water before popping the cap from your ale.

If you’re unsure of the beer to match your cigar, try taking your cigar and matching it up with different mugs and look for a close match in color. You can’t go wrong at that point! There are very few beers that can actually stand up to a strong cigar, but some like Samuel Adams’ Stony Brook with it’s tart and earthy flavors. If you’re desperate to find a perfect match for your cigar in the beer-world, try visiting Cigar City Brewing Company in Tampa, FL which houses many beers specifically made to accompany cigars. If you’re not that desperate and just want a good variety to choose from and hope you get lucky, try out World of Beer with many locations in Florida and a new location opening up in Savannah, GA.

Wine:

Now, if beer is too weak to satiate you and your cigar, you may find wine to be a suitable partner. It is very common for us to see smokers pair fortified wines and ports with their cigars because of their richer and heavier body that serves well with any type of cigar. The Stick Stickler likes to experiment though. Try pairing a light wine with a light cigar, similar to the beer strategy. It is always best to pair cigars with an aged wine that has had time to develop its aroma, textures, and flavors to perfection.

When it comes to pairing wine with cigars, it’s almost always a game of chance when you want to find that perfect pairing. But it’s always fun getting to drink a bunch of wine and smoke different cigars to see what fits! The Stick Stickler has personally found that sparkling wines often make a fairly good match for any cigar.

Liquor:

Most enthusiasts will agree with me when I say that liquor is almost the surefire way to go when you really need to have a drink with that stogie. Many people may disagree with me on this but when it comes to liquor, rum is the go-to for matching well with cigars. It may not be the flavors that make rum the go-to for cigars, but perhaps that both cigars and rum find their roots in Cuba which makes them long lost lovers. The perfect rum for a full-bodied smoke would be Bacardi for its caramel, vanilla, and licorice mixture. For a rum that pairs well with most any body and flavor of cigar, go for the age Montecristo.

Now here is a drink that even non-smokers can relate to when it comes to pairing cigars. Cognac is mostly famous for being paired with cigars because it exemplifies elegance and sophistication among the world. The best cognacs are those marked VSOP or XO to show that they are older and at their peak.

If you’re not satisfied with a beer, wine, or cognac, just grab a strong liquor and sip on that glass until it matches the flavors of your cigar. Or until you forget what you’re doing. We hope this post helps you guys out.