Cigars and alcohol. Two luxury products that go hand in hand, and sometimes even meet on business level. Aging tobacco in whisky, rum, or cognac barrels is a practice several brands do to achieve extra flavour to the wrapper for certain lines. The famous bourbon brand Maker’s Mark has their own cigar, sold in tubes with the signature wax coating. Drew Estate works with Pappy van Winkle and used to make Kahlua cigars. Mombacho has the Diplomatico series. General Cigars works with Sazerac, which resulted in Fireball cigars, Weller by Cohiba and collaborations with Buffalo Trace. And there is the Diesel Whisky Row, a collaboration with Rabbit Hole Distilleries. Fratello Cigars also sells craft beer. Most famous are probably the Cuban collaboration between Martell Cognac and Cohiba. Dominique London, the European retailer with more than 20 shops in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and the Canary Islands takes it one step further. They bought a distillery in Wales and produce gin, rum, vodka and liquors, and bottle whisky. They were kind enough to sponsor Cigar Inspector with samples so we can write about pairings.
Foragers Black Label Gin
The Foragers Black Label has an ABV of 46% and that makes it stronger than the other gins from the Snowdonia distillery. Master distiller Ron Morrison says that the Foragers Black is the ultimate James Bond Martini, so that is one of the cocktails we are going to make with this spirit. The idea behind this gin was to be as clean as possible. There are only two botanicals in this copper still distilled spirit. Juniper and Sea Buckthorn from the coastline of North Wales. This results in a spirit with a strong aroma of candied orange zest, fresh citrus and a silk smooth finish. But besides being perfect for cocktails, Foragers claims that their Black Label is the first gin that simply stirred with ice and strained will accompany a fine hand rolled cigar without compromise.
To get a base line of the gin, I tried it neat first. In a Glencairn glass, as that is my favourite glass when it comes to sampling a new spirit. The shape of the glass gives the best nose as the aroma is very concentrated. The nose is strong with a ‘green’ aroma. I smell pines and it brings thoughts of Christmas in my mind. There flavour of the drink doesn’t transport me to Christmas, although I do feel this is a winter gin. There is an herbal flavour with liquorice and lots of herbs and spices. I taste oregano and anise for example. Odd flavours but very pleasant. There is a little alcohol bite. This Foragers Black Label Gin is a perfect companion for a full bodied, earthy cigar or a cigar with chocolate notes. I’m thinking about the Alec Bradley Magic Toast for the chocolate or the Montecristo No.2 for the earthy flavours.
Gin & Tonic
Something I always notice with a Gin & Tonic, and I had many, is there isn’t much on the nose. Either it’s the amount of ice of the fizz in the tonic that makes the aroma evaporate quickly. For the Foragers Black Gin & Tonic it’s not different. There is a mild juniper aroma and that’s it. But the drink itself is not flavourless or mild. It’s refreshing as a gin & tonic should be with a little tart aftertaste and a little citrus while drinking it combined with the juniper. The citrus flavour comes from the sea buckthorn. This is such a versatile cocktail that it will pair with almost any cigar except for flavoured or infused cigars in my humble opinion. This can go well with anything, from a sweet Sobremesa Brulee to a full bodied Plasencia Alma Fuerte and any Cuban cigar.
And now for the gin tonic recipe:
2 ounces of 60ml of Foragers Black Label gin
4 ounces or 120ml of Tonic water
Fill a highball or Collins glass with ice. Add the gin, then the tonic and stir gently.
Long Island Iced Tea
This classic has a bit of an unknown origin. I used if for the Y Bét Premium Welsh Vodka too, so if texts looks familiar, it probably is. There are several stories about how and where this drink was invented. But it is a high alcohol cocktail that can get you drunk really fast. It is a balanced cocktail and therefore you won’t taste that it’s so potent. The balance also makes this a cocktail that is easy to pair although the sweetness from the simply syrup and the Coca Cola won’t make it a good match for sweet cigars. Something with a little more body to stand up to the potency of the cocktail, with woody, earthy or peppery notes can pair well with this drink. From an Alec Bradley Black Label to a Daniel Marshall Red Label and anything in between. A Cuban Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill would also go well with this perfect summer drink.
And now for the Long Island Ice Tea recipe:
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of Y Bét Premium Welsh Vodka
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of El Rumba Cuban Rum
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of silver tequila
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of Foragers Black Label
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of triple sec
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of simple syrup
3/4 ounce or 22½ml of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Cola, to top
Garnish: lemon wedge
Add the vodka, rum, tequila, gin, triple sec, simple syrup and lemon juice to a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with a splash of the cola and stir briefly. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve with a straw.
Negroni
For some reason this cocktail has been gaining a lot of popularity over the last two years. And especially with cigar smokers. I wonder why as this drink is quite bitter and I have never developed the acquired taste to enjoy a negroni. Then why make one for this article you might ask? Well, as I said, it’s a popular cocktail and even though it’s not my favourite, I can still make suggestions on which cigar would go well with this drink. On the nose this is a very pleasurable drink with lemon and fruit aromas. But in the taste, it’s too bitter to my liking. The bitterness has the complexity of dark chocolate without the chocolate flavour. Besides the bitterness there is also sweetness and hints of herbs and fruit. Because of the bitterness, my advice would be medium bodied woody smoke.
And now for the Negroni recipe:
1 ounce or 30ml of Foragers Black Label gin
1 ounce or 30ml of Campari
1 ounce or 30ml of sweet vermouth
Garnish: orange peel
Add the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes. Garnish with an orange peel.
Martini
When you go to the Foragers website and click on the Foragers Black Label you see a quite from the distiller. “The Black is the ultimate James Bond Martini.”. That’s quite a quote, and since James Bond always asks his martini to be shaken, not stirred, I always assumed that Bond drank vodka martinis. In general Vodka martinis are shaken where Gin martinis are stirred as gin is a more delicate spirit and needs a gentler touch. I could be wrong though and I expect that a reputable master distiller knows more about the world of alcohol than I do, so I take his word for it.
As for the cocktail. The aromas are delicate and smooth. A botanical gin aroma with a hint of lemon, but the vermouth and Angostura bitters are also present in the aroma. As this is a gin martini, I did not shake it but stirred it. If James Bond doesn’t like it that way he can kiss my ash. Bond should smoke more cigars in his movies anyway. The flavours of the cocktail are nice, fresh and green with a botanical and herbal flavour with a hint of liquorice. There is a clear difference with the neat version of the Foragers Black Label gin. That 15ml of Vermouth and that one dash of Angostura bitters makes a huge difference. I must say that I prefer a gin martini over a vodka martini by far. If James Bond prefers vodka over gin in his martini, he’s got it wrong. And a gin martini with the Foragers Black Label asks for a peppery cigar. Something as the Bolivar Belicoso Finos, EPC Pledge Prequel or the My Father Le Bijou 1922 box pressed torpedo.
And now for the Martini recipe:
2½ ounces or 75ml of Foragers Black Label gin
½ ounce or 15ml of Dry Vermouth
1 dash of aromatic bitters (OPTIONAL)
Lemon twist or olives for garnish.
In a mixing glass filled with ice cubes, combine the gin and vermouth, pouring more or less vermouth to your taste. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a dash of bitters if required. Garnish with a lemon twist or an olive.
Inspector X
