Favorite Winter Drink

Some of us have a go-to drink for the holidays, others don’t. Aside from egg nog at Christmas and mulled wine at Thanksgiving, there’s just something special about being in the cold either indoors or outdoors and having a warm glass of your favorite beverage. For me, it’s Irish Coffees. I know it sounds cliche, but I really do enjoy the combination of a dark roast coffee, warm foamed milk, and a just a “touch of the creature” (it’s an old timey expression from the green Isles meaning alcohol). You wake up on a chilly morning, perhaps snowing or just brisk temperature outside. The sunlight is peering through the bottoms of your windows, you pick your breakfast cigar, get your Irish coffee, light up your smoke, and wake up gradually into a brand new day.

I believe that we often consume cigars along with alcoholic beverages because sometimes there are flavors that overlap, compliment, or even clash with the cigars we choose. For example, A.J. Fernandez, one of the most well renown cigar makers, uses aged rum or bourbon barrels that have been charred on the inside to age the tobacco by letting the leaves ferment inside the barrels. This not only lets the tobacco purge itself of the ammonia and other impurities, but also add a dash of the charred bourbon taste in the leaves. Tobacco and alcohol have been best friends for hundreds of years and it’s only getting better from here. Just my thoughts, we at Cigar Tipsters would like to hear some of your favorite winter drinks and cigar pairings.