Sun, Sand and Cigars! Summertime Pairings…

With all the college graduations and Memorial Day weekend behind us, we find ourselves firmly ensconced in summertime here at Georgetown Tobacco.

The streets are filling up with tourists from all over the world, and recent visitors have been greeted by beautiful sunny days without our usual overbearing humidity.  It’s the kind of weather that begs you to go outside, fire up the grill, and kick back and relax with a great cigar or pipe.

While we typically don’t get too caught up in the pairing of cigars and beverages, the warmer weather begs for some different options to the standard neat bourbon or single malt.  One of our staff members, John Feller, is a connoisseur of fine cigars and pipe tobaccos, and stocks an impressive selection of wines and spirits at home.

As our “resident mixologist,” I turned to John for some of his preferred summertime cocktails that go great with cigars and he had several great suggestions:

Among the classics, John recommends a Moscow Mule, Martini, Gimlet, Tom Collins, or a Gin or Vodka Tonic.  You might also consider a great rum served neat.

Some other great cocktails you may not know are the Aviation, a White Port cocktail, and as featured in the photo above, a Last Word which John paired with a vintage Davidoff Aniversario #2 from his personal humidor.

We’re looking forward to later this year, when Davidoff will re-release the Aniversario #1 as a Limited Edition.  Of course, you can still enjoy the blend in several shapes we carry today.  Perhaps 2024 will see a comeback of the Aniversario #2 (hint hint, powers that be at Davidoff!)

When I asked John what the key is to pairing a cocktail with a cigar, he had this to say:

“Select a spirit that is not going to fight the cigar for dominance on your palate. Smoking a fine cigar or drinking a well-crafted cocktail should be a sensory and relaxing experience.”

With beautiful sunny days and warm evenings ahead, we hope you’ll have a chance to try one of these great cocktails along with one of your favorite cigars! Join the conversation by tagging us in a post @georgetowntobacco on Instagram or Facebook with your favorites.

Most importantly, as cigar and pipe smokers we all know the importance of savoring the moment. Summer will undoubtedly fly by, so slow it down with a great smoke and enjoy every minute. Cheers!