I strictly split drinking alcohol and smoking. I don't think you should tarnish one with the other. While smoking I drink coffee black, black tea or a soda.
In the '90s, I remember cigar people talking about pairing port and whiskies with cigars. I often found these pairings didn't necessarily enhance my enjoyment on either side; the subtleties and complexities of a fine cigar and vintage port were masked or diminished.
The kinds of bourbons and whiskies I enjoy most have layers of flavour and aroma that don't seem to be enhanced by tobacco. That's not to say that I don't have a cigar or pipe with whisky, just that I'm not getting 100% of the nuance that I paid for if I pair them—if I do have them together, I'll lean towards a less refined bourbon or whisky to have with my cigar or pipe.
This looks delicious !!
You are spot on ?I have never found alcohol works with pipe smoking (cigarettes is a different matter).
What does seem to be a perfect match is Greek coffee. Occasionally I'll have a thick Italian style hot chocolate also.
I always keep smoking unto itself- I prefer to taste each thing separately. Rooibos tea or normal black tea seem to go well with tobacco to me as they are milder in taste than beer or spirits. I also wouldn’t drink coffee with my smoke as its’ flavor is a strong and could potentially mute the taste of the tobaccoSo I usually like to sit down and have a drink of some sort when I am smoking a bowl and I'm sure there are quite a few people who do so but one thing I've started to notice is that if I'm drinking a spirit like scotch or bourbon it seems to actually take away from the experience. I haven't noticed this with beer or lower ABV type drinks. It seems that the taste and complexity of the spirit is completely lost or the taste and complexity from the tobacco goes away. I haven't seemed to find a middle ground with this one. Does every pipe smoker know this? Or perhaps they ignore it and just enjoy like I've been doing but it seems I've hit a wall with this one. It seems like beer or something ... *GASP* with no alcohol may have to replace this one!
I've been alcohol free for 32 years!I've been alcohol-free for 35 years, and smoking a pipe for14 years, but I used to smoke cigarettes and I'd always notice that after a couple of pints of beer a cigarette would have no flavour at all. Just hot air and hardly any effects from the nicotine either.