Ashes Cigar Lounge St. LouisCigar Lounge · St. Louis

Pairings

Pairings

A pairing is not a rule to obey. It is the pleasure of two things agreeing with each other — and finding the ones that agree with you.

What follows is by style rather than by name, so you can carry it into any room and any shelf. The principle throughout: match the smoke you are holding to a drink with enough character to stand beside it, and not so much authority that it talks over the top of it.

I

A smoky single malt

Peat and tobacco, agreeing at once.

The oldest pairing there is, and still the best one for a full-bodied smoke. Smokiness meets smokiness and the two settle into each other. Take it with something dark and generous, and let both sit for a moment before you go back for the next.

II

A small batch bourbon

Sweet oak beside a richer leaf.

Warm, oaky and a little sweet, which is exactly what a spicy, earthy cigar wants next to it. The bourbon softens the pepper, the cigar lifts the vanilla — a companionable pair that suits a long evening and a low table.

III

An aged rum

Smooth, sweet and quietly spiced.

Softer than whisky and rounder than most spirits, with a caramel depth that flatters a medium cigar beautifully. If you want something generous without the bite of a high-proof pour, this is the one.

IV

A VSOP cognac

Fruit and flowers over a balanced smoke.

Delicate and aromatic, and the most elegant thing on this list. It asks for a balanced, medium cigar rather than a heavy one, and it rewards paying attention. A fine choice for the second hour of an evening.

V

A tawny port

Rich, nutty and sweet.

Nutty, dried-fruit sweetness that finds a natural partner in a Maduro. The cigar brings the richness, the port brings the roundness, and the pair of them taste like the end of a good dinner.

VI

A rich cup of coffee

Cocoa, and an easy place to start.

If you would rather not drink, this is not a consolation — it is one of the best pairings there is. Dark-roasted coffee brings cocoa and a gentle bitterness that a medium cigar loves, and it keeps the evening going at exactly the pace it was already going.

✦

None of this is law.

The right pairing is the one you enjoy. Try a few, notice what suits you, and keep that — we would far rather hear that you found your own than that you followed ours.

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