It’s time to spice up your cigar pairings a little.
Though it’s generally agreed upon that a cigar pairs well with whisky neat or on the rocks, there’s something magical about pairing cigars with the perfect whiskey-based cocktail creation. Whisky cocktails allow for much more flavor experimentation to compliment, contrast, or to cut through the flavor – and the heat – of a cigar. When executed correctly, this can result in a flavor combination unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.
For the following piece, we presented the folks at Signal Hill Canadian Whisky with 5 different premium cigars and then asked them to create the perfect whisky cocktail for each. Their Canadian Brand Ambassador Andrew Daw explains exactly what they conjured up, and outlines how you can mix up these delicious creations to pair them with these fine cigars.
All in a day’s work: Signal Hill Canadian Brand Ambassador Andrew Daw mixing things up
Signal Hill Canadian Whisky
Signal Hill is an excellent, multi-award winning Canadian whisky that features a blend of 2 grain whiskies (corn & barley) that are aged separately in three different barrels, and then blended with pristine water from Newfoundland, Canada before bottling.
Beyond neat or on rocks, Signal Hill serves as the perfect base for a seemingly endless array of cocktails to pair with a fine cigar.
[For a full review of Signal Hill Canadian Whisky, click here].
Having said that, here are 5 Signal Hill Whisky Cocktails that have been expertly formulated to be paired with a cigar:
The Mild-Bodied Pairing: Ashton Classic Magnum & Mai Tai
The Cigar:
The Gentleman’s Flavor: The leather and citrus notes of this cigar become nutty before transitioning to a sweet nougat and marzipan finish. An easy smoking, mild-bodied cigar. Made in the Dominican, they combine an aged blend of mellow Dominican tobacco leaves with a golden brown Connecticut shade wrapper. The result of this pairing is rich and smooth, with a mellow to medium body that boasts universal appeal.
The Cocktail:
Andrew Daw: The perfect cocktail to compliment a mild-bodied cigar to get your night started. Bright, lively, and comforting in every sip, the citrus and the oak derived from the Signal Hill compliment the citrus and leather notes of the Ashton cigar.
- 1.75 oz SHW
- ½ oz Cointreau
- ¼ oz Fresh lime juice
- ½ oz Orgeat syrup
Method:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Double strain into a Collins glass with crushed/pellet ice. Top with an Angostura Float (roughly 15-20 dashes, 1 CM of depth). Garnish with a fresh mint crown and a fresh lime or dehydrated lime wheel.
The Coffee Lover’s Pairing: La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva & Coffee Infused Boulevardier
The Cigar:
TGF: This cigar integrates notes of cocoa bean and coffee with sweet woodiness and a touch of leather. There’s a touch of liquorice on the finish. Utilizing a dark, toothy Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Mexico and a robust Nicaraguan long-filler blend, Mi Amor offers a rich, medium-bodied profile.
The Cocktail:
AD: This is a rich and velvety cocktail with notes of cacao, coffee and citrus. Slight leather notes from the Signal Hill Whisky come through to compliment the cigar alongside the coffee and cacao. A beautiful medium-bodied cocktail that will coat your mouth with every sip between puffs of your cigar.
- 1 oz Coffee infused Signal Hill Whisky
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 1 oz Campari
Method:
How to infuse coffee beans into Signal Hill Whisky: in a Mason jar, place 250 ml SHW and ¼ cup coffee beans of choice. Set In a cool, dark area for 2 weeks. Strain out beans and enjoy! Add all ingredients and a fresh orange zest to a mixing glass and stir over ice for 20-25 seconds. Double strain into a Rocks glass with a large ice sphere. Zest a fresh piece of orange, spritz the oils over top of glass and rub the rim. Place zest in glass and serve.
The Palate Refresher Pairing: La Aurora Nicaraguan 107 & Spruce Tip and Balsam Fir Whisky Sour
The Cigar:
TGF: This is Nicaraguan puro, meaning that all 3 elements of the cigar (wrapper, binder and filler) were grown in Nicaragua. It has a rich and balanced profile that’s layered with notes of cedar, baking spices, earth, and a slightly sweet finish. Medium to full-bodied.
The Cocktail:
AD: Here we created a well balanced cocktail that tastes like a winter forest – great for cutting through the heat of this cigar. Wood and maple notes from the spruce tips and balsam fir syrup, and the baking spices, citrus and oak notes in Signal Hill compliment the baking spices and earth of the cigar. All brought together with a velvety mouth feel. A perfect cocktail to recharge your palate.
- 2 oz Signal Hill Whisky
- 1 oz Balsam Fir Syrup (from Forbes Wild Foods in Toronto)
- 3-4 Spruce tips
- ¾ oz Fresh lemon juice
- 1 Egg white
- 4-5 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Spruce tip garnish
Method:
In a cocktail shaker , shake all liquid ingredients (except bitters) over ice for 10 -15 seconds, remove ice and shake again vigorously for another 10-15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled Coupe glass. Drip 4-5 dashes of Angostura bitters over top and with a skewer draw a line through. Garnish with 4-5 spruce tips around the top for aromatics.
The Rich ‘N’ Robust Pairing: E.P. Carrillo La Historia & Black Manhattan
The Cigar:
TGF: A luscious wrapper leaf from San Andrés Mexico embraces a complex core of handcrafted tobaccos from Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Woody, rich and sweet, with hints of leather, cocoa, raisin, nutmeg and toast. La Historia delivers a medium to full-bodied finish.
The Cocktail:
AD: Notes of cacao, mocha, cola and bitter orange from the Averna blend beautifully with the leather, dried raisin, baking spices and citrus notes from the Signal Hill in this less syrupy and sweet riff on a classic Manhattan. The result is a wonderful overlap of rich flavors between cocktail and cigar.
- 2 oz Signal Hill Whisky
- 1 oz Averna Amaro
- 3 dashes orange bitters and 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Amarena cherry garnish
Method:
Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing glass and stir over ice for 20-25 seconds. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with an Amarena Cherry skewer.
The Full-Bodied Pairing: Punch After Dinner & Spiced Old Fashioned
The Cigar:
TGF: Designed consistent with customary Honduran tobacco curing practices, Punch is a outstanding illustration of a full bodied, robust cigar, blended with top notch tobaccos. A dense, chewy smoke that’s earthy and sweet. Pretty spicy in the middle, with hints of chocolate and coffee. Definitely full bodied.
The Cocktail:
AD: Ancho Reyes is a Poblano Chili liqueur with earthy notes of chilies, chocolate, tobacco, cinnamon and vanilla. Balanced with the sweetness from honey and the smoothness from the Signal Hill, this intriguing cocktail makes the perfect after dinner sipper alongside a robust cigar such as the Punch.
- 2 oz Signal Hill Whisky
- ¾ oz Ancho Reyes
- ¼ oz Honey syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura + 2 dashes Xocolatl Mole Bitters
- Orange zest
Method:
Place all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass and stir over ice for 20-25 seconds. Double strain into a Rocks Glass with a large ice sphere. Garnish with a fresh orange zest.
And A Final Treat…
Stumbling upon the perfect libation to pair with a cigar can feel like you’ve struck gold. To eliminate some of the guesswork, these cigar and cocktail combinations have been test-driven to perfection thanks to our friends at Signal Hill and their award winning Canadian Whisky.
Beyond expertly crafting 5 sumptuous cocktails to pair with the aforementioned cigars, Brand Ambassador Andrew Daw wanted to leave our readers with one final treat…
Signal Hill Chocolate Pudding
AD: Let’s not forget about dessert! To cool down a palate after a hot cigar or two, try this sweet little creation that utilizes our Signal Hill Whisky to create a deeply satisfying finale.
- 2 oz Signal Hill Whisky
- 1 cup 35% heavy cream
- 1 cup 70% cacao dark chocolate nibs
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Shaved orange zest
- Fresh cracked sea salt
Method:
Bring Heavy cream to a boil and then slowly pour over dark chocolate in a separate bowl. Whisk together until you have a smooth consistent liquid, then slowly add EVOO and Signal Hill Whisky together. Add shaved orange zest and fresh cracked sea salt. Pour contents into a Mason jar and place in fridge for 3-5 hours. Serve with a glass of Signal Hill Whisky of course, then add a graham cracker and enjoy!
Kurt Bradley is the founder of The Gentleman’s Flavor, to which he is also a contributing editor, host and curator.
Kurt is a certified Whisky Ambassador accredited by The Scotch Whisky Association and has achieved Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits Education Trust with distinction.
His favorite combo from within this article is the La Aurora 107 and Spruce Tip Sour.
