In the first of our line of pairings, Mr Maujean and I decided to explore the combination of cigars, scotch, and BB guns. We chose Perdomo Lot 23 Belicoso for the cigar, Cutty Sark for the scotch, and an innocent dangling plastic bottle for our target. Knowing the danger of mixing booze and bullets (even tiny BBs), we drowned the scotch in club soda, which was a small mercy considering it's some of the cheapest blended scotch one can buy that's still drinkable. Leisure-lovers take note: cheap scotch mixed with club soda is one of the backbones of classy drinking. It's important to cultivate a taste for this particular beverage.

The Perdomo Lot 23 was a really fine smoke for the value. They have a pleasant, carmel-brown Connecticut wrapper and fine Nicaraguan long filler. The smoke is creamy and easy on the tongue, and my cigar burned quite easily with a good firm ash all the way down to the nub. I was able to keep puffing on it until it threatened to burn my fingers, and I didn't want to give it up. As Mr Maujean mentions in his review, these seem to be really low-nicotine cigars and we had to load up our pipes a bit later just to feel like our day wasn't completely wasted.

The shooting was pretty fun, though perhaps doesn't pair all that well with a cigar. You can't really hold a cigar in your mouth while you shoot, because the smoke gets up your nose and in your eyes. You can't really hold it in a hand, either, as it's awkward and again, there's all that smoke. However, I think back fondly to images of really tough WWII sergeants with stogies gripped betwixt their teeth as they shout orders and rush into battle, and I suspect that shooting and cigars are probably a great combination that just require a bit more practice. As a service to our readers, we promise to try this combination over and over again until we've mastered it.

Some might have noticed my erstwhile colleague's crude challenge to me, and I am now faced with something of a dilemma. As a pacifist, I really don't want to shoot at anybody with anything, but as a gentleman of leisure, I find it difficult to refuse a duel. However, I believe it is proper form for the man accepting the duel to set the terms, so, Mr Maujean, I do accept. But the weapon will not be Airsoft pistols, but a series of Sazeracs. We shall have a battle of the livers!