The outer plastic wrapper is a beautiful yellow-champagne color like a bottle of Crystal, and the large black and gold label matches well. The Perdomo Champagne Reserve is a tight role so it’s not soft like a normal cigar. Before lighting, the triple fermented wrapper smells sweet and tangy. The wrap is stiff, tight and slightly cracked. It lights easily and the draw is flawless. The beginning of the cigar has a light and smooth flavored smoke with notes of honey and wood. The cigar was dipped in Cognac and still has a subtle, light flavor. The middle of the cigar is much stronger with a thick robust and smooth aftertaste. The final 1/3 of the cigar had a slight hint of pepper and oak. Again, the draw is flawless. This cigar smokes very well.
The Amazing Story of Perdomo Cigars from their web site:
Our story traces its roots to San Jose de las Lajas, Cuba, an agricultural and industrial municipality located 27 kilometers southeast of Havana, where Silvio Perdomo was raised. He apprenticed first at Cuesta y Cia. in the early 1930’s before leaving to practice his art at the H. Upmann factory from 1937 to 1945; and at the famed Partagas factory until 1959. It is also where his son, Nick Perdomo, Sr. was born and began his apprenticeship in 1948 at the Marin & Trujillo factory before earning accolades for his craftsmanship and making his own way to join his father at Partagas. “Things were going so well then, my father and I were just beginning to establish ourselves and obtain recognition for our work,” said Nick, Sr., an imposing wrecking ball of a man with a soft voice and a heart as big as his frame. “But then Castro destroyed everything – our country, our lives and our freedom.”
A quiet and peaceful man steadfastly opposed to Castro and the communist revolution, Silvio Perdomo was soon arrested in his own home and quickly tried and incarcerated in the notorious Isle of Pines prison where he endured his harshest treatment. Three years later he was transferred to La Cabana, a murky 18th century fortress overlooking Havana Bay. For the next 12 excruciating years, Silvio suffered through squalid conditions, torture and near-starvation at La Cabana and four other Cuban prisons.
Nick, Sr. was also a target of the wrath and violence inherent in establishing Castro’s “New Cuba”. Ambushed by pro-Castro guerillas, he was shot and critically wounded – within view of the very home his father Silvio was arrested and abducted from. “The political views of my family and I were very anti-communist , and (then former president Fulgencio) Batista used to visit the factories frequently,” Nick, Sr. recalled. “Batista didn’t smoke cigars but, because it’s one of Cuba’s main exports, he was very interested in what my father and I were doing with the different cigar shapes and styles we were experimenting with.” Nick, Sr. then laughs gently, shaking his head. “The communists must’ve thought I was a close friend of Batista. I’ve still got two bullets inside of me to prove it.” Hunted while being cared for in the home of a close friend, Nick, Sr. managed to escape Cuba before fully recovering from his wounds through a sponsorship hastily arranged with the Catholic Church. His arrival in Washington, D.C. yielded a startling discovery. “I knew the streets weren’t paved with gold, but my sponsors had no place for me. Nowhere to live or eat. Nick Sr. now pauses and his eyelids narrow. “But I thank God for coming to America. It has given my family the precious opportunities of freedom they never would have had in Cuba.” Nick, Sr. now points at a large American flag he has on the wall of his office, “When I raised my right hand before this beautiful flag it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Even though I’m proud of my Cuban heritage, I bleed American red, white and blue.”
If you’re a fan of the gin martini with cucumber than the Gin & Sin with Hendrick’s Gin, cucumber & oregano will be you’re new drink of choice. Barbuzzo’s take on the Gin & Sin adds fresh oregano to the gin and cucumber with Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth. We’re not talking about oregano out of a jar. This fresh but dried oregano is shaken right off the stem and smashed into the cucumber. With a dash of Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, the Hendrick’s Gin is shaken over ice with the oregano suffused cucumber and poured in an ice filled glass with mashed pieces of cucumber. The Barbuzzo gin and sin is exceptional, complex, delectable and refreshing. We will most likely be ordering fresh oregano with every cucumber gin martini we drink.
The first third of the cigar is very smooth and light with an excellent rich flavor. We dipped the tip of the cigar in Courvoisier Exclusif Cognac and the flavor matched very well with the African Cameroon wrapper. The middle and last third of the cigar are stronger and toasty. The aftertaste has a hint of coffee. This is a great smoke for the price and perfect for after dinner, especially if that was grilled fish tacos, and grilled turkey and beef fajitas marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and grill time dusted with a Taste of Texas seasoning. The Oliva Seri G Torpedo has great appearance, good burn, excellent taste, and good consistency with a solid draw. Overall, it’s a great cigar.
The 562 Torpedo Cigar by Maker’s Mark is a bourbon seasoned small batch hand made cigar from the Dominican Republic. The long leaf tobacco is grown with Cuban seeds in the Dominican, and aromatically seasoned with Maker’s Mark bourbon. The cigar is then sealed in a glass tube with the Makers Mark signature red wax. The seal is air tight so there is no need for a humidor.
The first 1/3 of the Makers Mark 562 Torpedo Cigar is smooth with slightly sweet smoke and a sweet flavorsome wrapper. The middle of the cigar brings a lot more flavor and is slightly dry with hints of wood. The 562 Torpedo smokes well and is a great cigar.
One might not think that adding a cucumber to a martini is the most enticing; however, when it comes to Hendrick’s Gin, the cucumber gin martini is a masterpiece. Hendrick’s is a small batch gin from Scotland infused with cucumber and rose petals. When drinking the cucumber gin martini, the flavor if the infused cucumber comes through with an excellent balance. The cucumber is a little more than subtle but not overbearing in anyway. For any gin drinker, it’s a must!
Hendrick’s Recommends:
2.5 parts gin
.5 parts dry vermouth
1 cucumber slice
Stir in a mixing glass and strain in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cucumber.
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Whiskey Goldmine Recommends:
2.5 parts gin
.2 parts
2 thin cucumber slices
Pour a touch of vermouth into a martini glass, swirl around the glass and pour it out. Pour the Hendrick’s gin into an ice filled shaker and shake hard for 10 seconds. Pour the gin into the martini glass and drop the cucumber slices right in the gin.
If you’re a regular in Atlantic City, sometimes the obnoxious noises from the slot machines and cheap cigarette smoke in the casino just become extremely tired. If you want a club, fine, Mir Mir and the Pool Bar seem to be the spot. If you want an Irish Pub, fine, they’re all over the place. But if you want to get away from all the noise, casino degenerates, bad food and atrocious looking carpet, Morton’s is the place to be. It’s quiet, relaxing, stylish, comfortable, and has some of the best food and drinks in town for half price. The Morton’s Power hour menu crushes the competition with $7 Filet Sliders, Crab Cake BLT’s, Smoked Salmon Pizza, Three Small Prime Cheese Burgers, $6 Iceberg Wedge Bites, Blue Cheese Steak Fries, and Chicken Fingers. The drink menu is just as good with $5 Sam Adams, $6 for four different wines by the glass, and $7 dollar cocktails. The Power Hour is not just a happy hour it’s actually anytime but dinner time; Sunday through Friday from Open to 6:30pm and then from 9pm to Close. Morton’s is located in dowtown Atlantic City at the front entrance of Caesars.
By Matt Goldstein 
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