Smoking a cigar is an art which one should learn to enjoy the stogie. One of the nuances that every aficionado should know is pairing the right cigar with the right beverage. There are lots of opinions, which spirits go well and which do not while puffing one of your favorite stogies but the correct one is the one you like.

Of course, you need some hints in order to choose the matching alcohol. One of the most important criteria on which you should base your choice in combining cigars with beverages is the strength of the stogie you usually (or namely this certain moment) prefer, i.e. full, medium or light bodied. It is evident that full-bodied cigar will go well with a hard drink, a medium-bodied stick will match with a milder beverage and, finally, a light-medium stogie should be washed down by a low-alcohol drink. Naturally, there are exceptions in this rule either. The drink you select for your cigar should not be as hard and flavored as your stogie is. Otherwise, it will overwhelm cigar's flavor and won't let you enjoy it. 

Daytime is another important matter which needs to be taken into consideration while matching cigars and drinks. One thing is drinking rum or port with a stogie after work, in the evening and taking hard spirit with your stick in the morning or in the afternoon is something absolutely different. Thus, if you are eager to smoke your stogie while working, choose some non-alcoholic beverage, coffee, for example. You will not only smoke your cigar but also drink a tasty beverage which will tone you up without resorting to alcohol.

So, what spirits to choose to pair with your favorite babies? We cannot give you the exact name as this is the matter of personal choice. Still, we can enumerate the most popular types of alcohol to go with cigars.

Cognac, rum and port are traditional beverages accompanying a stogie. Choose carefully the ageing and quality since you certainly wouldn't like to smoke your favorites with low-grade drinks. The ageing is very important when choosing cognac: bear in mind that unseasoned sort goes well with a light-bodied cigar while well aged bottle is a perfect match for a full-bodied stogie.

Many aficionado consider rum to be the best drink for cigars. You might be familiar with such famous names like Bacardi, Pampero Aniversario or Havana Club rum, which is highly appreciated by cigar smokers.

Scotch, especially, single malted is another good option pairing with your stogies. This is a hard drink, thus it goes better with strong cigars. Yet, you can also try matching medium bodied cigars with this beverage as it has wide range of types and strength.

Here are another drinks suggestions for full-bodied cigars which you should try as these are hard sprits: gin, vodka, brandy and whisky. These options are a matter of preference. The only thing to remember here: try not to overpower the strong stogie with such a beverage, and vice versa as, sometimes, combining those two can be too much for some of us.

Pairing alcohol with light and medium-bodied stogies, you should opt for such beverages as different sorts of wine and beer. These are usually considered light drinks and will be overwhelmed by a full-bodied cigar.

If you are not satisfied with this range of beverages or do not take spirits, you are always free to choose any soft drinks, such as coffee (which is at the top of most aficionados preferences), water (don't be surprised, it's cheap but good), juice, shake, tea, and many others.

And, finally, do not take all the recommendations given here as a rule of thumb. The beverage (be it soft or strong) which you are going to choose for your favorite cigar is up to you. It can be an unpredictable alternative which will amaze you at first but will please you while smoking. Don't be afraid to experiment! Only you can decide what type of beverage you like and match it with your stogie.