A Muddled Thought

Several weeks ago I attended a Beam Global Portfolio party in which I bumped into several individuals that were working with the new Benji Menedez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso Cigar line. During the discussion the topic came up of pairing this new cigar with a spirit.
As someone who enjoys a cigar from time to time, they offered to send me one to give a try and provide some thoughts on a spirit pairing.
The Partagas Majestuoso is a limited series that’s only being available in quantities of a five thousand box run with twenty cigars per box.
After nosing the cigar a bit, I detected some aromas of chocolate and espresso. Which made my first thought to try a rum that had some similar flavors to it.

I happened to have a bottle of Chairman’s Reserve St. Lucian Rum handy that seemed like it might be a good fit. With Chairman’s Reserve being a combination of double distilled and continuous stilled rums its flavors of vanilla, caramel and cocoa among others made it a nice pairing with the flavors of the Majestuoso. A few other options to explore would be a tequila that has similar tones such as Riazul, Partida Reposado, or Milagro Anejo or a whiskies such as Laphroaig, or a Dalmore King Alexander that would play well with the flavors present in the cigar.

If your interested in trying a Benji Menedez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso Cigar, there holding several events to announce the launch of the cigar.

To register for one of these events you can go to BenjiMenendezSocial.com.
You’ll be asked to enter one of the city specific passwords below. Each password is limited to twenty-five attendees.
City Time Password
Los Angeles, CA Dec. 1, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. BC6FE5A
Las Vegas, NV Dec. 3, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. 002F932
Chicago, IL Dec. 8, 2009, from 6-8:30 p.m. FA0B2B1
New York, NY Dec. 15, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. 93F0C04

The Meehan Bar Bag

Jim Meehan head bartender of PDT and the man voted America’s best bartender at the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Awards partnered with Moore and Giles, a luxury manufacturer to create the Ultimate in Bar Equipment…

The Meehan Bar Bag.

In the past several years as the bartending trade has begun to morph into mixology and started to mimic the level of precision and artistry of chefs, by utilizing fresh ingredients, infusions and advanced culinary techniques the tools of the bartending trade have grown past your basic muddler, jiggers, barspoon and strainers to include multiple shakers, full knife kits, juicers, spray bottles, butane torches, and other assorted goodies. The need to transport all of these tools along with other assorted equipment has grown past the point that any duffle bag or a standard backpack will do the trick.

Hence the Meehan Bag was born.

The story as Jim tells it started in 2006 at the BAR Course
(Beverage and Alcohol Resource).

At the time Jim, had been using a Koobikit chef’s bag to store and transport his gear.

Other attendees to the class such as Aisha Sharpe and Willy Shine(Of Contemporary Cocktails) utilized converted over the shoulder knife bags for their gear. Jim continued to use a Koobikit bag, and over the next few years added a small knife roll, and a rolling suitcase. After seeing the assortment of other rigs that bartenders such as USBG NY Treasurer and Don Julio Brand Ambassador, Brian Van Flandern’s metal attache case and Jamie Bourdreau’s re-purposed doctor’s bag that he added a foam fitting to, Jim started thinking about a new take on bag.
He started thinking about something that had the right balance of durable, practical and something that reflected the classic style of his favorite Jack Spade calfskin messenger bag.

For someone that often runs around a lot to events, as well as New York City and always needs to have everything needed to craft a drink on him, I fell in love with this bag the first time I saw it in person. In designing this bag, Jim Meehan went further than anyone to date. Perhaps further than anyone should ever go with what you can bring along with you. With the ability to carry all your tools, four shakers, a 4 cup measuring pitcher, the optional knife wrap, side pockets for bitters and a room for a cutting board or laptop, this bag has everything covered. And yes I did say a laptop. The bag has a zipped back sleeve that can house up to a 15inch Macbook Pro. Though that might mean you’ll have to reconfigure the removal padded compartments to fit that cutting board, but if you need to bring all your gear and a laptop along in one bag you’ll do just fine with the Meehan Bar Bag.

The one negative I found with this bag is the price; this is definitely not your $100 Koobikit. Though the price does include the knife wrap.
On the other hand after personally handling one of these bags, its well crafted, carries everything and then some, and just as Jim Meehan does, has classic style.

I felt it best to close this article with a with a quote from Jim Meehan that sums up the bag best, and touches on everything I mentioned.

“This bag, like my passion for the craft, is overindulgent and a labor of love. I hope you like it.”
-Jim Meehan

The interior of the Meehan Bag.

(Editors Note:This bag can be purchased from Cocktail Kingdom or Moore and Giles directly.
While the bag is not currently available online for purchase at Cocktail Kingdom, they can be contacted via email or phone for inquiries.