SAVORER PAIRING IS part art, part science and a whole lot of personal preference. The goal is to magnify and extend a given sensory experience. One well-known example is le repas après le dîner—the meal after dinner—which is where Cognac and cigars come in.
I was introduced to the joys of this postprandial repast by two departed mentors, both named David: my father and David Shaw, a three-time Pulitzer-winning journalist and columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Both enjoyed a tipple of eau-de-vie and a puff on a puro at the end of dinner. And both made me appreciate the ritual all the more.
Like Cognac, cigars enjoy a storied origin tale and romanticized characteristics, part of which is predicated on ritual. Part of that ritual, in turn, dates to La Belle Époque—the Victorian Era to Brits, the Gilded Age to Americans. That’s after-dinner brandy (Cognac, preferably, though Armagnac or Calvados will do nicely too) or eau-de-vie (Marc de Bourgogne, or even an exceptional grappa such as Grappa Barili di Sassicaia). This custom of carrying culinary delights beyond the meal itself, and the joy it elicits, lead to convivial discourse—creating an immediate salon-like mise-en-scène that is just so damned civilized.
Cognac brandy, as we know it today, arrived in the early decades of the eighteenth century. (Maison Martell was founded in 1715, Rémy Martin in 1724.) Prior to the rise of these houses, 17th-century brandewijn (burnt wine, as Cognac brandy was once known) was said to be less palatable.
By the early nineteenth century cigars and brandy were conspicuous features in woodcut illustrations. Come the Victorian Era, they were de rigueur in high and mid-society alike. Why? Because they all perfectly complement one another. This helps you get the greatest enjoyment out of your cigar, which is always a worthy pursuit.
To achieve a pairing preference that creates an ideal balance of mouthfeel and flavor, thereby maximizing enjoyment, one must investigate and explore. There’s a shortcut at hand here: Over the years, several Cognac houses have crafted eaux-de-vie specifically to pair with cigars.
Within this niche Cognac category, you’ll find Frapin Cigar Blend XO, A.E. Dor XO Réserve Cigar Cognac, Maison Gautier Cognac XO Pinar del Rio Exclusive Cigar Blend and the Hine Cigar Reserve XO Cognac, among others, including a Martell x Cohiba collaboration. Then there’s my very own Delamain SIG CIGAR XO.
Crafted in partnership with Delamain and its cellar master, Charles Braastad, the SIG CIGAR XO expresses an honest reflection of its origins and the great care behind its creation with a style that will appeal to cigar enthusiasts the world over. So light up, drink up—and, most of all, enjoy.
photo by Aaron Sigmond
