My Favorite Cigar
Adrian Bridge • Port Wine Maker • Punch Punch
Adrian Bridge, CEO of the Fladgate Partnership, owners of Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca and Croft Ports, has been to some phenomenal cigar events in his career. At an Ibero-American Conference, he once met Fidel Castro, who sent a cigar roller in advance. In Houston, while hosting his first major cigar event of the 1990s cigar boom, he supplied guests with Taylor Fladgate 1977 Vintage Port to pair with many cigars. “On probably their third cigar, you could hardly see across the room let alone judge the fine nuances of such a complex vintage Port,” he recalls. “We were all given a dry-cleaning voucher!”
Bridge’s typical smoking venue isn’t so crowded: sitting out under the stars. He chooses his favorite—the Cuban Punch Punch—and pairs it with Taylor Fladgate 20-year-old Tawny Port. “I find that the sweetness and high acidity on aged Tawny always provides the balance to the smoky notes.” And there’s a bonus. “Apart from being a sublime experience,” he quips, “it also has the advantage of keeping away any mosquitos.”
