Valentine's Day is just around the corner and love is in the air. For those of you who are single, such as myself, it can be a lonely or even straight up annoying time of year. But have no fear, the team here at Cigars.com is ready to set you up for an amazing Valentine's Day, whether you are with your soulmate or solo on the couch. Let's look at some amazing cigar pairings that will shoot Cupid's Arrow right in your heart.
Ginger Smash and H. Upmann Connecticut
The Ginger Smash is an age-old cocktail that is seeing a revival in the modern era. With the Millennials' love of all things unique and their odd obsession with Ginger, this smooth and complex cocktail is once again becoming a mainstay at bars across the country. It is a blend of Gin, Apple Liqueur, lemon juice, ginger, and a dash of an allspice dram. Other fruits, such as pears, can be added as well, giving it a light, fruity taste with a good spice coming from the dram and the ginger. The new H.Upmann Grupo de Maestros is the perfect match for this cocktail, giving off a smooth and creamy aroma with a light and fruity flavor profile including a dash of spice towards the end. We are going to call this the New Age pairing.
Brown Derby and Punch Diablo
The Brown Derby is a West Coast cocktail that was named after the famed L.A. diner of the same name. it is a simple drink, with its main ingredients being Bourbon, grapefruit juice and a honey-based syrup. This combination gives it a complex profile, with a rich taste from the syrup, a bold spice from the bourbon and a light sweetness and fresh taste from the grapefruit juice. The Punch Diablo, the newest in the Punch line, matches up well with the Brown Derby. Its dark wrapper adds in heavy touches of rich chocolate and dark fruit, while its filler tobaccos add in a touch of spice. Let's go ahead and call this the West Coast Pairing.
My Spicy Valentine and Viaje Juntos 2018
There is one word to explain this next pairing, complexity. Let's start out with the cocktail, known as the My Spicy Valentine. There are almost too many things going on with this drink, making it perfect for a guy like me. It’s a mix of Vodka, Crème de Cacao, Orange Liqueur, milk, and chocolate bitters with two slices of chili peppers to give it that signature spice. So at the same time, you are getting spicy, rich, creamy, chocolaty, and citrus notes. The only cigar that could match up well, in my opinion, was the new Viaje Juntos 2018. The collaboration between Viaje and E.P. Carrillo is cloaked with a dark and rich broadleaf wrapper, giving you rich chocolate notes. However, the filler is pure Nicaraguan, which spicy profile will go well with the chili peppers. We shall call this the Spicy Lovers pairing.
Corpse Reviver and Boneshaker Maul
This is one of the oldest cocktails on our list and was named for its ability to help people get over a hangover. It uses a crazy combination of ingredients including Gin, Cointreau, Cocchi Americano, lemon juice, and a dash of absinthe. This drink was made to basically jump start your body after a night of drinking and it does just that. It is incredibly strong and is known to bring you back to normal after all the shots you did last night. For this, I went with the Boneshaker, a heavy, intense smoke that will certainly help you wake up in the morning. Both the strength, the intensity, and the name make this cigar a terrific pairing for the cocktail… you can thank me in the morning. For this pairing, we are going to call it Jump Starter.
Cognac French 75 and Illusione One-Off
Our last pairing is the most classy of the bunch. It combines a luxurious beverage with a boutique cigar that only an aficionado could appreciate. A French 75 is a combination of Cognac, Lemon juice, and simple syrup that is shaken with ice and placed in a large Champagne glass. It is a very sophisticated drink which would definitely impress your date when you're out on Valentine's Day. You are going to need a cigar that is equally impressive, so we went with the new Illusione One-Off. Considered one of the best cigars of the year and one of Dion's best products, this smooth yet complex smoke oozes sophistication and class. Let's finish up by calling this our Aristocrat Pairing.
