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Cocktails, that mysterious alchemy created by bartenders to be sipped at in happy or sad times, that help us to celebrate or drown the sorrows, have been hitting it off with Habanos in recent years.

This mystical pairing, perhaps not as conventional as the one established with spirits or the match suggested with some liquors, fortified or wholesome wines, stems precisely from the mixtures bartenders blend in the making of cocktails, which can eventually help put us on the road of pleasure with a good Habano.

Either as appetizers, hors d’oeuvres or refresher, cocktails can harmonize well with Habanos during their preparations, especially with mild-to-smooth cigars. However, when it comes to the bartender’s decision, bolder suggestions with long-burning, strong-tasting Habanos can be made, that usually require more than just one drink during the smoke. Therefore, there’s no such thing as a preconceived formula or rule to stick to, yet experts recommend those cocktails in which wholesome, high-octane spirits prevail.

Nonetheless, the true secret lies in pleasing the patron that chooses the right cocktail for his Habano, even though in that selection process the bartender –a master occultist who has heard confessions and sins, should know the basics about Habanos, either to suggest, either to suggest the right vitola or just to adjust the alcoholic beverage with the selected cigar.

At the end of the day, what actually counts for the drinker-smoker is the chance to the find the right Habano-cocktail combination to make the most of his intimacy, with a cup and a cigar in his hands, buried in his deepest thoughts.

A Peculiar Daiquiri for Habanos

El Floridita, home to the world-famous daiquiri, not only boasts such great combinations as the Papa’s Special, the one Hemingway liked so much with its double shot of rum and grapefruit instead of lemon. Bartenders there have come up with other daiquiris based on fruits, mixtures of liquors and even one exclusively designed for Habano smokers.

By the hand of no less two world champions of the Intl. Habanosommelier Contests –Orlando Blanco and Zudlay Napoles– the Daiquiri Miel (Honey Daiquiri) was born, especially thought out for smokers who like sipping at the emblematic cocktail Ernest Hemingway used to drink.