Memories of Italy: A Negroni Evening in Santa Margherita Ligure

It’s no secret to visitors to these Musings that I frequently enjoy pairing a Negroni with a cigar. Naturally, I sought out the same combination during our vacation in Italy.

We spent a few nights at the Hotel Metropole in ‎⁨Santa Margherita Ligure⁩. The hotel features a large outdoor dining area where I enjoyed the classic cocktail — with a cigar, naturally.

Among the cigars I packed for the trip was a Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust 10th Jubilee that had been resting in my humidor since mid-March. I had smoked one from the box a few weeks earlier and was looking forward to revisiting it.

The Negroni was excellent, crafted with a rich vermouth and local gin that made for an especially refreshing rendition of the classic cocktail. As daylight faded over the Ligurian coast, the leisurely pace of the evening seemed perfectly suited to the drink and cigar alike. The comfortable patio, bordered by a lovely garden setting, added to the relaxing evening ambiance.

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust 10th Jubilee commemorates ten years since Steve Saka launched the company in 2015. The 5 5/8 x 48 Corona Gorda is wrapped in a smooth, dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Beneath the wrapper is a Mexican San Andrés binder surrounding four Nicaraguan fillers sourced from the country’s major growing regions: Estelí, Jalapa, Condega, and Ometepe.

Though somewhat dark and foreboding in appearance, the 10th Jubilee delivers a medium-plus-bodied and nuanced smoking experience. The flavors are dynamic yet subtle, offering notes of baking spices, molasses, cedar, and earth, all occasionally accented by hints of black pepper. It is a cigar well-suited for quiet reflection.

The bitter cocktail added even more depth and enjoyment to the experience. The Jubilee’s balanced medium-bodied profile allowed the Negroni’s herbal complexity to remain expressive alongside the cigar. Combined with the warm evening air and birds singing in the garden, the pairing contributed to what felt like a quintessentially Italian evening.

Cheers!