Too Hot to Handle

The original HVC Pan Caliente launched in 2016 as an homage to hot cakes, and the line has sold like them ever since. The Pan Caliente has turned into a series of regular production lines for the small-batch brand, and this year, HVC celebrates where it all began with the release of the Pan Caliente 10th Anniversary Limited Edition. This one boasts an all-new blend, including Peruvian pelo de oro (“golden hair”) tobacco, famous for its golden color and striking flavor. Pelo de oro is a tricky tobacco to grow, making its place in this release all the more special. Made at HVC’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the cigars are finished with a Nicaraguan binder and rolled in a Habano 2000 wrapper. $310 per box; hvccigars.com

BETTER THAN EVER
McMann & Tate landed on the scene in 2020, in the midst of the biggest spike in home bartending interest we’ve ever seen. Recently, the Jersey-based, retro-inspired maker of bitters, garnishes, and rim salts debuted its Botanical Bitters Collection, a trio of its signature bitters in one giftable package. If you’ve never upgraded your bar cart beyond Peychaud’s or Angostura, the Botanical Bitters Collection is a ready-made introduction to the world of premium craft bitters, each made with high-quality, natural ingredients. There’s Wildly Aromatic, a spiced and complex companion for Manhattans; Bing Cherry, a rich, fruit-forward profile perfect for Old Fashioneds; and English Lavender, a delicate, floral profile tailor-made for gins and herbal cocktails. The collection comes with 1/2-oz bottles of each, making it an easy entry point into elevated at-home cocktail-making. $19.99, mcmannandtatecocktailcompany.com

SWEET SPOT
Sweet-tipped cigars have been the talk of the industry this year, as cigar buyers look for fun, flavorful twists on their smoke sessions. Quesada is the latest cigarmaker to throw its hat in the confection ring, debuting the all-new Quesada Suspiro, available in two wrappers, a Connecticut-seed and a Cameroon-seed. A suspiro is a meringue dessert, and that’s exactly what Raquel Quesada and team were after in this one, a cigar in which the sweetened tip accentuates the innate flavors of the tobacco rather than replacing or smothering them. A sweet-tipped cigar, like a good dessert, needs balance and subtlety; the tobaccos here were hand-chosen for their bold flavor then lifted by a touch of sugar. The line hit shelves in August, thus dessert is officially on the menu. $12.25-$13.50 per cigar, cigarcountry.com

ELITE EIGHTEEN
Redemption 18-Year-Old debuted last year to great fanfare, quickly becoming one of the whiskeymaker’s signature releases in its nearly three-decade history. If you missed the first drop, Redemption 18-Year-Old, part of the whiskeymaker’s Ancients Series, is hitting the shelves in limited quantities this fall. (Heads up, bourbon hunters: when Redemption says limited, they mean it.) Tipping the scales at 102.85 proof, this year’s mashbill is a slight tweak on last year’s: 74% corn, 22% rye, and 4% malted barley. Eighteen years in oak has a way of intensifying a bourbon’s character; expect mesmerizing smoothness and remarkable depth, from cherry and cinnamon on the nose to vanilla and leather on the palate and a long, oaky finish. The bourbon is bottled at barrel proof by Master Blender Alan Kennedy and non-chill filtered to preserve its subtleties and rich, dark color. Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this one. $399.99 per bottle, redemptionwhiskey.com

Miles of Cool
Few men have reached the heights of cool attained by the great Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter extraordinaire and style icon. To honor Davis’ 100th birthday this year, Ferio Tego is releasing the Ferio Tego Milestones. Each box contains ten 6 x 50 toros and one of four reproductions of a printed Miles Davis sketch. (Davis was also a prodigious painter and illustrator.) To round out the celebration, each box contains a link to a playlist curated by Reservoir Media, the Miles Davis Estate, and Ferio Tego co-owner Michael Herklots, himself an alum of the Berklee College of Music and former player in the school’s Miles Davis ensemble. Cue the record and savor these with the volume turned up. $185 per box, feriotego.com