The Overnighter: A Bold Cocktail and Cigar Pairing

The Overnighter cocktail is a four-ingredient drink that’s right up my alley as a fan of bitter and sweet combinations. It’s a flavorful, well-balanced cocktail that’s every bit as enjoyable as it is easy to make.

The Overnighter

• 1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
• .75 oz 22.5 ml Campari
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• .25 oz Bénédictine
• Orange wheel for garnish

Combine the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain over a large ice cube into a rocks glass and garnish with the orange wheel. Some recipes call for a smoked orange wheel, which would undoubtedly add another layer of complexity.

I used 90-proof Sazerac Rye for my drink. The Overnighter is moderately strong and meant to be sipped slowly, allowing its contrasting bitter and sweet notes to unfold with each taste.

I’ve seen some versions of the recipe call for ¾ ounce of Bénédictine. I tried one using ½ ounce and found the resulting drink a bit too sweet for my taste. The quarter-ounce measure keeps the herbal liqueur in balance, adding depth without overwhelming the other ingredients.

A bold cocktail like the Overnighter calls for an equally bold, well-balanced cigar. I reached for the El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco, a cigar I’ve enjoyed often and was one of my favorite cigars of 2025.

The cigar’s rich notes of dark chocolate, black coffee, and roasted nuts paired beautifully with the Overnighter. It had been a while since I’d smoked an El Pulpo, despite still having an unopened box resting in the humidor. This smoke served as a welcome reminder to crack open that box in the near future.

Cheers!

Late-Winter Evenings: El Pulpo & Valentine’s Chocolate

We continue to enjoy some moderately warmer weather and ever-later sunsets — welcome signs that there’s more time to linger outdoors with an after-dinner cigar. Earlier this week, the El Pulpo from Artesano del Tobacco, paired with some Valentine’s Day candy, made for a sweet treat as the sun settled below the horizon and the evening air began to cool.

The El Pulpo is a smoke I’ve been enjoying often of late. Balanced and rich, notes of dark chocolate, black coffee, and roasted nuts are supported by a palate-pleasing dark sugar sweetness. Though the burn wavers at times, the cigar produces copious, flavorful smoke and remains an easy one to revisit. As the smoke progressed, the bitter notes of coffee and dark chocolate moved from medium-bodied into the fuller range. At the same time, the sweetness deepened in the finish, maintaining balance.

Chocolate treats rarely fail when enjoyed alongside a darker-flavored cigar. The creamy chocolate and hazelnut fillings in the candies were satisfyingly decadent, their sweetness complementing the cigar’s deeper notes. Not a bad way to spend an evening as the days begin, almost imperceptibly, to stretch.

Cheers!

The Best Cigar Is the One in Your Hand

The personalized license plate on my car offers a subtle hint at my enjoyment of cigars. Recently, while pumping gas, the guy behind me called out, “What’s your favorite cigar?” I hesitated, then stumbled through a reply listing a few brands I’ve enjoyed lately. In truth, my usual answer to that question — whether it’s about beer, bourbon, or cigars — is simply, “The one I’m enjoying at the moment.” It may sound flippant, but it’s also the most honest answer I have.

In my 2025 year-in-review post, I went out on a limb and declared a couple “favorites” of the year: the El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco and a Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Wegmans Private Selection. If I could distinctly recall every cigar smoked and every whiskey poured over the past year, would I still choose those two? I’m not entirely sure — but they clearly left a lasting impression. Reflecting on that choice, I decided to enjoy them together as my first sip and smoke of the new year.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked store pick doesn’t appear to have been mentioned previously in these Musings, though it has shown up more than once on my Instagram feed. Compared to the standard bottling, this pick leans less on peppery spice and more toward a sweeter profile of caramel and oak. It’s an easy, enjoyable pour — and since no trips back to New Jersey are planned (or desired), I’ll be savoring this bottle while it lasts.

The El Pulpo, on the other hand, has been mentioned here before. Although it debuted in January 2023, it wasn’t until the summer of 2025 that I picked up a five-pack — and promptly followed that with a full box in the Robusto size. It’s a balanced and flavorful cigar, offering notes of dark chocolate, coffee, roasted nuts, and earth, capped by a pleasingly spicy-sweet finish.

After revisiting these two “favorites” together, I’m comfortable standing by my 2025 declarations. Still, the next time someone asks, “What’s your favorite cigar?” I'll prepared to answer a bit more quickly — with my usual reply: “The one I’m having at the moment.”

Cheers!

Cigars by the Sea: A Relaxed Week in the Outer Banks

I took a short break from posting last week while we slipped away for a much-needed trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It had been three years since our last visit to the OBX, and the return reminded me why this stretch of coast is a popular destination. We've been visiting regularly for the last 40 years and still find it an amazing place — even if I am no longer tempted to jump in and battle the waves. This was not a trip packed with schedules or excursions. We simple enjoyed a laid-back week devoted to the art of leisure. We spent our days relaxing, eating well, laughing over board games, and, for me, savoring some good cigars.

Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown

Most of my smoking time was spent on the deck with a view of the Atlantic or right down on the sand, enjoying the steady rhythm of the surf. A persistent breeze occasionally forced a lopsided burn, but overall the oceanside weather cooperated nicely. I even carved out time for a couple of visits to the local lounge, OBX Cigar Lounge — a welcoming spot that deserves its own write-up, which I’ll share in a separate post.

Black Label Trading Company Royalty

As usual, I packed more cigars than I realistically expected to smoke. I like to give myself options depending on my mood, and there’s always the chance a stick might misbehave. That variety was further expanded by a few purchases at the lounge, which added some fresh finds to the rotation.

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro

The weather turned out to be surprisingly kind. Aside from a few clouds, there was very little rain — quite a contrast to our last visit, when gusting winds and near-constant downpours limited me to a single cigar the entire week. This time, the conditions allowed for plenty of relaxed smoking sessions without interruption.

El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco

In the end, the vacation was everything it needed to be: unhurried time with family, simple pleasures, the sound of the ocean, good food, and cigars enjoyed without rush. Sometimes the best trips aren’t about doing more, but about slowing down and enjoying what’s right in front of you.

Cheers!

El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco: A Full-Bodied Masterpiece

I picked up a five-pack of the El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco about four weeks ago. Since then, I’ve often caught myself eyeing them in the humidor, tempted to light one up. But I try to give new cigars — especially those that arrive by mail — at least a month, preferably longer, to settle in before smoking. Exactly four weeks to the day, I gave in to temptation and lit one up on a cool evening.

El Pulpo — Spanish for “the octopus” — is the result of a collaboration between Artesano del Tobacco and AJ Fernandez, released in 2023. It wears a dark, oily Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers grown on AJ Fernandez’s farms. The Robusto Grande vitola I chose is a 5 × 56 sharply box-pressed cigar. 

From the first draw, I was enveloped in thick, rolling clouds of smoke — easily one of the smokiest cigars I’ve lit up in some time. Rich flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted nuts greeted my palate, soon joined by a dark sugar sweetness that struck a beautiful balance between bitter and sweet.

El Pulpo delivers a full-bodied yet remarkably smooth experience, never crossing into harshness. While the burn line wavered slightly at times, it never required correction. Smoke production was both ample and flavorful, providing about 75 minutes of satisfying enjoyment.

To accompany the cigar, I poured a glass of Peerless Small Batch Bourbon. At four years old and bottled at 115.4 proof, it carries some heat but is still a surprisingly approachable pour. Bold notes of caramel, cinnamon, butterscotch, and brown sugar dominate. A few drops of water tame the heat and let the flavors shine — an excellent complement to the richness of the cigar.

By the time I set the nub down, I was already contemplating a box purchase of El Pulpo. The only decision left is whether to stick with the Robustos or spring for the slightly longer 6 × 56 Toro.

Cheers!

New Riff Single Barrel (Again) and Viva La Vida Cigars

I've been looking forward to smoking the Artesano del Tobacco Viva La Vida cigar since it arrived in the October Luxury Cigar Club monthly shipment. I've smoked this cigar line produced at the AJ Fernando factory in the past. Both the lancero and toro vitolas have made appearances in these Musings. This time it was the 5 x 54 robusto that I was enjoying. The attractive maduro Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan Corojo 99 binder, and the Nicaraguan Criollo 98 filler combine to make a flavorful smoke. This is full-bodied smoke with notes of leather, black coffee, pepper and a moderate cinnamon spice. The robusto was no less delectable than the others I've tried.

As the accompaniment for the evening, I poured some New Riff Single Barrel. The New Riff is a high rye bourbon with the expected rye-influenced kick. This particular batch is bottled at a robust 110.3 proof. The spice of the rye is prominent in the nose, along with cinnamon, brown sugar and sweet fruit notes. The proof is noticeable in the mouth giving a nice heat, one that stands up well to the full bodied cigar. The rye spiciness makes itself known more as the liquid rests on the tongue. The spiciness is balanced by some vanilla and cream sweetness. I was very pleasantly surprised by enjoyment of the pairing. This despite a memory of this one being a little more harsh previously. That harsher profile remembered was the reason I chose it for the pairing.

I went back and looked my previous remarks on the New Riff, which pretty well confirmed my memory. Then I noted that the previous tasting had been accompanied by a less than stellar cigar. It so happens that the same cigar has since disappointed on multiple occasions. Maybe that had some effect on my perceptions. This outing, I found the bourbon to be a most agreeable drink.

It's often said that the enjoyment of a particular bourbon, or a cigar, is influenced in no small part by one's mood or the accompanying food or cigar or drink, as the case may be. The more I explore bourbon and cigar pairings, and revisit some of the individual players, the more I experience that. I certainly found this to be true with the New Riff Single Barrel. I look forward to enjoying it again, with yet another cigar.

Cheers!