Almost forgot, I also had a Gurkha Corniche this past Friday night. This is supposed to be the Royal Salute cigar (the triple infused KL XIII cigar) without the infusion process. After smelling the tube and cigar, I refuse to believe that this cigar is not infused at all. It has the same cognac/grape-like sweetness on the nose as well as the draw when unlit and a slight lingering sweetness on the draw once lit. Either way this was a fantastic cigar. Thanks Squirrel for sending this one my way!

Last night I lit up a Camacho San Luis y Martinez (#4) and created a few new Gin drinks for myself.

The cigar smelled of tobacco and slight barnyard. Having already smoked a few of these in the past, I mostly knew what to expect with this one. Wood and spice upon the light with bitter cocoa notes coming in shortly thereafter. While most of the cigar comprised of these main flavors, there was some occasional harsh bitterness that may have been due to drawing too quickly on such a small cigar. When I slowed down and shortened my puffs, most of the bitterness went away. Overall, a good cigar with more of a medium body and earthy profile.

I purchased a bottle of Hendrick's Gin (if you're a Gin drinker, you have to try this gin if you haven't already) a while ago and just never got around to opening it. I don't drink gin that often, but was in the mood for it last night. Hendrick's goes really well with cucumber and that's what's recommended in a Hendrick's martini. I took it a step further and used the cucumber skin and some simple syrup and gin to muddle the cucumber and infuse that flavor into the gin before pouring. Some simple syrup, gin and a few slivers of cucumber skin in a glass and use a muddler to crush the cucumber. Add more gin and some ice cubes. Allow the ice cubes to open up the gin while stirring, then strain into a martini glass. The rest of the gin/cucumber/sugar mixture was topped off with sparkling spring water to top it off. Both drinks were great, light, slightly sweet and very smooth summer drinks. Honestly, I have to say, it also worked fairly well as a pallet cleanser rather than killing the taste of the cigar.

Rob1110:

Almost forgot, I also had a Gurkha Corniche this past Friday night. This is supposed to be the Royal Salute cigar (the triple infused KL XIII cigar) without the infusion process. After smelling the tube and cigar, I refuse to believe that this cigar is not infused at all. It has the same cognac/grape-like sweetness on the nose as well as the draw when unlit and a slight lingering sweetness on the draw once lit. Either way this was a fantastic cigar. Thanks Squirrel for sending this one my way!

You know right? I don't think it's the same blend though. I could be wrong but I get a different flavor from it than the royal salute. At any rate I enjoy the cigar. btw they come in the same box as the royals... lol.

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Rob1110:

Last night I lit up a Camacho San Luis y Martinez (#4) and created a few new Gin drinks for myself.

The cigar smelled of tobacco and slight barnyard. Having already smoked a few of these in the past, I mostly knew what to expect with this one. Wood and spice upon the light with bitter cocoa notes coming in shortly thereafter. While most of the cigar comprised of these main flavors, there was some occasional harsh bitterness that may have been due to drawing too quickly on such a small cigar. When I slowed down and shortened my puffs, most of the bitterness went away. Overall, a good cigar with more of a medium body and earthy profile.

I purchased a bottle of Hendrick's Gin (if you're a Gin drinker, you have to try this gin if you haven't already) a while ago and just never got around to opening it. I don't drink gin that often, but was in the mood for it last night. Hendrick's goes really well with cucumber and that's what's recommended in a Hendrick's martini. I took it a step further and used the cucumber skin and some simple syrup and gin to muddle the cucumber and infuse that flavor into the gin before pouring. Some simple syrup, gin and a few slivers of cucumber skin in a glass and use a muddler to crush the cucumber. Add more gin and some ice cubes. Allow the ice cubes to open up the gin while stirring, then strain into a martini glass. The rest of the gin/cucumber/sugar mixture was topped off with sparkling spring water to top it off. Both drinks were great, light, slightly sweet and very smooth summer drinks. Honestly, I have to say, it also worked fairly well as a pallet cleanser rather than killing the taste of the cigar.

Interesting. I never thought of using gin with a cigar. I like gin but love, LOVE the bombay blue sapphire. Would you say this gin is better than the Blue Sapphire or just say regular gin? To be honest I haven't had many gins, only a few.

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I personally like it much better than sapphire, mainly because it's very clean, crisp and versatile. I find Bombay Sapphire to be great in a dry martini, but absolutely terrible if dirty and not so great with tonic. Hendrick's is the only gin I've been able to tolerate dirty, is fantastic dry or just with a slice of cucumber, perfect with tonic, but does NOT go well with lime. Where Tanqueray is great with lime and tonic, Hendrick's will do with cucumber and tonic. All in how you drink it, but I thought it was great with a cigar where the cucumber was so light and refreshing and not too overpowering as some other alcoholic drinks can sometimes be.

Tonight, I pulled out a Perdomo Cuban Cabinet Reserve (at least, I think that's what they used to call them - the white label - might also be called the sun grown). I've had this cigar on a few occasions and it's always been good, but not my favorite from this series. I think I'd have to give that to the cameroon (silver label). The cigar had notes of wood, spice, earth and a papery note. If smoked too fast, a bitter note was also very present.

The cocktail was a bit of an experiment that I think I will change slightly next time, so I'll give you the new recipe before I try it. Chill a martini glass with ice and water. In a separate glass with ice, add 2-3 dashes of orange bitters (I used a home-made orange-spice bitters - I'll post what I can remember of the recipe if anyone has interest in making their own bitters), 2 shots of cognac (I used Gabriel and Associates - made by the house of Ferrand - Fin Bois - very heavy on Vanilla - very nice cognac at the price point), and a tablespoon of honey dissolved into one shot of water. Stir for 30 seconds to allow the ice to melt into the drink and open the cognac. Pour the ice/water out of the martini glass and pour a tiny amount of Absinthe into the glass and swirl to coat the glass as if you're swirling dry vermouth for a dry martini. Dump the excess absinthe and strain the cognac into the glass. You will get notes of anise from the absinthe with the vanilla/grapeseed and sweetness of the cognac, combined with the honey and balance from the orange bitters. The cognac, honey and orange/spice all work well together. The touch of anise adds to the overall depth of the drink.

Enjoy!

Last night, with hesitation (because I only have one left now), I pulled out one of our forum blend cigars after letting it rest for almost a year. I remember how much I loved this cigar and was truly impressed that a bunch of regular joes hanging around this board, along with Alex's guidance and wisdom, were able to create such an impressive cigar.

On to the review: The cigar is absolutely beautiful, perfectly constructed, no major veins, seams are perfectly held down, packed densely, heavy in hand but still having a nice draw. The cap was spicy and pre-light draw was mostly barnyard tobacco. The cigar burned evenly, ash held strong, it produced plumes of smoke and the flavors were slight pepper, wood, leather and a touch of sweetness. The only minus was that I did notice a bit of an ashy taste about half-way through. Aside from that, this was a great cigar. So, Alex: when are these going to happen? Last we heard the factory was backed up by about 6 months, about 7 months ago. I'm kind of itching for an update.

The drink was a Bijou. The original recipe calls for 1oz gin (Hendricks), 1oz green chartreuse, 1oz sweet vermouth and 1 dash orange bitters. I modified it slightly since I didn't have any sweet vermouth and left my orange bitters at a friends house and didn't feel like mixing up more. I used 1.5oz gin, 1oz green chartreuse, 1 tsp blackcurrant liqueur, 2 tsp simple syrup and a few dashes of peychaud's bitters. Pour each ingredient into a highball blass with a few ice cubes. Stir for 30 seconds to 1 min to allow some of the ice to melt and strain into a chilled glass. The gin and chartreuse worked well together due to the herbal nature of both. The blackcurrant liqueur added a fruit note to the herbal and spice notes of the other components and the bitters added more depth. I could have seen the drink benefitting from a small spritz of lime or even just a lemon peel. Enjoy.

Stopped into one of the local B&Ms here after getting Thai food with my cousin and picked up a Siglo VI tubo. I'd been eyeing these cigars for a few weeks as I found a deal online for 5 tubos and a lighter for what seemed like a fair price as long as the cigars aren't crap. At the local shop, I paid $11. I'll start by saying that the cigar is NOT worth $11, but for $6 or less, it's well worth it, but hey, that's what you expect when you shop your local B&M. Besides, I like stopping by to say hi to the owner.

The cigar was beautifully constructed for an obvious rip off of Cohiba's signature label. The pre-light was nothing fancy, just clean tobacco. No spice on the cap. I toasted the foot with my torch and lit with the cedar sleeve that came in the tube. The cigar was medium at best and gave the typical wood, paper, hint of sweetness profile. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a solid stick. Slightly tight draw with a punch but it opened up with a cut. Burn was mostly even with only 2 touch ups and the ash held solid. I'll wait before buying more, but may consider it eventually.

The drink that I called a Blue Bourbon (because I'm not that creative) was a quick mixture I came up with. 2 parts bourbon into a rocks glass with ice, one teaspoon of dark agave nectar (hence the blue, after the blue agave plant), and 2-3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters. Stir for 30 seconds and strain into a chilled glass. If you like boubon and slightly sweeter drinks, this one should hit the spot. The bitters add some citrus and spice notes to round the whole thing out.

Nice reviews and I am intrigued by your drink creations. How do you come up with them and how long have you been doing it?

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Thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

The drink creations are usually based on some basic knowledge of what flavors work well together, which stems largely from cooking and starts with basic knowledge of notes offered in a particular drink and what complements them. Sometimes I'll take a recipe I find on the web and modify it slightly. It's a lot of trial and error. I also cook with alcohol quite often, so that gives you a better sense of what flavors will meld vs clash.

What's your poison? I'll see what I have for you as far as recipes.

That's cool. From your descriptions, I would have thought you were a bartender at one time or another.

I personally am not a big alcohol guy (low tolerance + allergies), but when I do indulge, it's usually a bit of scotch. I really enjoy the Glenmorangie 14 and recently tried and liked the Laphroiag 10. My girlfriend, on the other hand, loves mixed drinks. Do you have any recipes of something for the summer that an amateur like me can whip up for her?

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What does she drink? I gave a recipe for a cucumber gin martini or cucumber gin mojito a few posts back. The mojito style would just be a bit lighter, but both have that great summer taste and feel. If she does Vodka martinis, I'd take her favorite fruit/fruits and throw them in a bottle of decent vodka (try Tito's handmade if you can find it, otherwise Russian Standard is great for the price - Belvedere is my fav). Let that sit for a few weeks and you have an instant martini - shake in a shaker with some rocks. All depends on what she drinks and what she likes.

Mixing scotch is a bit tougher since there is such a big range on scotch and it seems you like the slightly peaty scotches. Those may mix well with just a dash of berry and some bitters, but will usually do just fine on their own. You could also try a dash of the Laphroaig in some cognac (with the right cognac, this might just work - look for something oaky and not too sweet) to give the cognac a smoky note. Those scotches usually pair well with strong, hearty cigars as they'll easily overpower anything less than med-full.

Lately she's been drinking a lot of Cuba Libres (rum, coke + lime juice). She typically enjoy limey drinks and also floral drinks (like lavender). Thanks for your suggestions on the scotch, I will have to try that.

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www.smoketherevolution.com

Not sure what you're using for rum, but I usually go with darker rums for all rum drinks unless the drink specifically calls for white rum. As I've suggested before, my favorite dark rums are Ron Zacapa, Zaya and Plantation 20 year has become a recent runner up. If she doesn't mind her drinks on the stronger side, introduce her to a Cuban Manhattan. I think I gave the recipe in another thread, but it's 2 oz dark rum, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters and you can add a dash of maraschino cherry syrup for a sweeter drink - pour all into a highball glass with ice and stir for 20-30 seconds, then strain into a martini glass with a cherry.

Lime is easy. If she likes tequila, mix her up a home made margarita. Not that cheapo sour mix and tequila crap. Start with a good tequila (I like Don Julio all around - their blanco is a great mixer, but for a little extra cash, the Anejo is really smooth in a margarita and adds more depth with the oaky, vanilla and floral notes in it - Corzo and Milagro are both good as well for easy to find tequilas). 2 oz Tequila, 1 oz Grand Marnier (Cointreau will work as well), one fresh squeezed lime (you can also add some fresh squeezed orange, blood orange or grapefruit to make it more interesting), 1/2 oz agave nectar and 1/2 oz water. Shake with ice for 20-30 seconds and serve on the rocks.

Citrus juices in general are great to use in just about any type of booze. Try cooking with some orange and rum or cognac. I recently used rum, orange juice, orange zest, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar to candy some pecans and they came out incredible. Rum and orange work great with chicken. Cognac and orange with carrots and asparagus is really good too.

For floral, try St. Germain on the rocks. Nuff said. It's a sweet liqueur produced from pressed elder flowers. It is often mixed with Champagne, but it also works nicely with gin.

Awesome. Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I'm going to try and make some this weekend.

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www.smoketherevolution.com