Spritz or rinse a Nick & Nora **(or other coupe style)** glass with absinthe and then place in the freezer
Combine the rum, cynar, benedictine, scotch, and bitters in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir until chilled
Strain into the chilled, absinthe-rinsed glass and serve
notes
It is very easy to overdo it with the absinthe, and have it overpower everything... If rinsing the glass, make sure to pour out any extra absinth before placing the glass in the freezer, or even better, skip the rinse altogether and use an atomizer instead.
In addition to keeping the drink colder for longer, putting the glass in the freezer ahead of time ensures that the absinthe coating the sides of the glass does not drip down and pool at the bottom.
The first few times I made this drink, using the templates I found online, I didn't think it gave enough "cigar-like" flavor. Perhaps it's because I enjoy sipping scotch neat, and so have acclimated to the peatiness, but I found that upping the scotch from 0.25oz to 0.5oz gave a much better overall flavor to the cocktail.
I also found after trying various scotch that [Islays tend to work best](assets/ScotchByRegion.jpg) and give the most balanced, cigar-like flavor, but that once you have locked onto the ratios you like, changing which scotch **(and to a lesser extent, rum)** you use gives comparable [flavor variations](assets/ScotchFlavorProfiles.png) to that of smoking different cigars.
The scotch is acting in this drink like the wrapper leaf in a cigar, and as with cigars, is a large determinant on the overall flavor compared to the volume it contributes. This is a rare case where I will put a good quality scotch into a cocktail.
In addition to experimenting with various scotches, I also tried making this drink substituting the scotch for mezcal. Unfortunately, the mezcal flavor profile does not jive well with the rest of the components in my opinion.
Another interested experiment was to use Plantation Pineapple rum. This one I enjoyed, but I imagine will not be for everyone. The fruity component added by the pineapple rum reminded me of smoking a cigar while eating Mike and Ike's.
Based On
[Cocktail Virgin's 100 year old cigar](https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2017/05/100-year-old-cigar.html)
[Drunkards Almanac Hundred Year Cigar](https://drunkardsalmanac.com/covid-quarantine-hundred-year-old-cigar/)
[Scotland Distilleries by Region](assets/ScotchByRegion.jpg)