It was a very chaotic New Year’s Eve this time around, surprisingly so. Normally M and I have a quiet New Year’s Eve with pyjamas on, a good jazz stream on, and some nice alcohol and smokes. The plan was the same this time around. Planned menu was a simple pasta, gin and tonic (thanks to a good gin gifted by a good friend), and a good cigar. All good and simple. Till I got addicted to following Kirby Allison videos.
His videos popped up when I was checking out some data on cigars, but it soon took me down a rabbit hole of dressing up. He has made some really good videos on dressing like Bertie Wooster. For an Anglophile like me this was a motherlode of good content.
Coming back to the NYE, I wanted to dress up for the night, despite no plans to leave home. M gave in to me and everything was set. Till it wasn’t. A couple of hours before midnight we found we seemed to have misplaced an important key. Now we were upturning the entire home trying to find it. Total chaos. The good news was we found the key between two file folders; the bad news – we had hardly 10 mins to midnight.
So now it was a race to midnight, three piece suit on, pasta served, G&T idea dropped and instead a ready pina colada mix with Absolut picked up, and the cigar lighted just in time for midnight –
“HAPPY NEW YEAR” to all.
This was the most sweaty new year I had without any dancing preceding the ball drop. The rest of night/morning was peaceful. The pina colada mix was ok. Music was fabulous. Cigar was alright – good but not great. It was an LB1 by Rocky Patel. I am not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that I was all worked up before smoking, rather than the more sedate environment I am in when I sit to enjoy a cigar. Or it could be the fact that I had the Decade by Rocky Patel some weeks ago and that is a FABULOUS cigar. So my expectations might have been a tad too high.
I do find that for key days like Christmas, Diwali or New Year’s having a quiet party at home is much more fun than going out and struggling with traffic, crowds, and overpaid services. Do you feel the same?
Speaking of Kirby Allison here are the links to some of his videos that I enjoyed:
- You Tube Profile page for Kirby Allison – https://www.youtube.com/@kirbyallison
- Two bespoke suits made by superstar tailors John Kent & Terry Haste – Double Bespoke Commission with London Tailors Kent & Haste
- This one gave me strong Wooster vibes – From Suit To Shoot – Series
- A quick look at a gentleman’s club – Touring One Of London’s Oldest Clubs | Walking Tour With Simon Cundey
- I love all of the videos of Kirby with Edward or Eddie Sahakian – some times it works as a back ground ASMR – Inside London’s Best Cigar Lounge | With Eddie Sahakian | Kirby Allison
- Loved this series on Cowboy Boots created by Lee Miller for Kirby – Cowboy Boot Fitting | Texas Traditions Handmade Boots | Lee Miller
- This was a fun round table – again with my favourite Edward in it – A Special Evening With Cigar Legends | Davidoff of London & The Foulkes
The Whiz's Crucible 
I didn’t know you were so into cigars. That could be something to write about on Hive (hint hint). Happy new year.
I have been waiting to write that perfect first post there. But you are right, i need to just start writing there. Thanks for the push.