My Favorite Cigar
Charlie Palmer • Chef
Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo
Try going lighter in pairing food with your cigar, advises renowned chef Charlie Palmer.
“Although the obvious choice for most people is red meat, like a nice rib eye,” says Palmer, 63, the James Beard Award winner for Best Chef in America in 1997, “I like something lighter, like a perfectly roasted Mary’s chicken with roasted garlic and fresh oregano.”
Palmer’s favorite cigar is the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo (natural wrapper). He generally smokes after work or even just at sunset.
Palmer is launching a new hotel company and revitalizing his cigar-friendly bar atop Manhattan’s Knickerbocker hotel. His restaurants, which stretch from New York to the Sonoma Valley, have won multiple awards, including Wine Spectator magazine’s Grand Award for his Aureole Las Vegas.
He likes to drink Charlie Clay Pinot Noir (he’s the “Charlie”) but he also enjoys spirits. “Recently, I’ve been pursuing small-batch Bourbons,” Palmer says. “Even to the extent of producing a whiskey that will be released in late 2023. That’s probably the most appropriate thing to sip while enjoying a Padrón.”
