CATEGORIES

The Football Bro - Pat McAfee brings a casual new style to ESPN.

If, on a cool weekend morning in autumn, you happen to be watching “College GameDay,” on ESPN, don’t worry about figuring out which of the broadcasters behind the improbably long desk is Pat McAfee. He’s the one with the roast-pork tan, his hair cut high and tight, likely tieless among his more businesslike colleagues. The rest of the onair crew—Lee Corso, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and, newly, the former University of Alabama coach Nick Saban—tend to look and dress and talk like participants in an old-school Republican-primary debate. McAfee, though, favors windowpane checks on his jackets and a slip of chest poking out from behind his two or three open buttons. If the others are politicians, he’s the cool-coded megachurch pastor who sometimes acts as their spiritual adviser.

A HIGH STEAKS GAME

Gallaghers restaurant, New York's oasis for carnivores, has thrived for 96 years, playing host to a colorful crowd of sports heroes, show people and classic characters

A Trinidad Celebration

One of Cuba's star cigar brands commemorates 55 years with anniversary smokes

Gentlemen 1919 A CIGAR HIDEAWAY IN PARIS

In the front, there are hair cutters; in the back, cigar cutters.

My Favorite Cigar

Cigar aficionados describe their smoke of choice

TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith

Many connect TAG Heuer with Formula 1 racing through the renowned Monaco watch, named for the Grand Prix held in that city.

SHORT BUT SWEET

Golf courses traditionally are played on 18 holes, but a new crop of exciting shorter courses from top-name designers might just be the big new thing in golf

Pinball Machines - "Two kind of people in this world," Ray Liotta's character says in the 1997 movie Cop Land.

"Two kind of people in this world," Ray Liotta's character says in the 1997 movie Cop Land. Pinball people and video game people." If you're 50 or older, you might fall into the former group of gamers who are enthralled by the ringing bells, snapping flippers and the captivating combination of mechanics and electronics that make pinball irresistible. While it's the ultimate Sisyphean game-the eternal (and doomed) effort to keep an 80-gram, carbon-steel ball from going down the drainfor those who love it, it couldn't be more fun.

The Enforcer - Cole Hauser, who plays the tough-as-nails cowboy Rip on the hit show "Yellowstone," has been around horses since he was a little boy

Cole Hauser looks like he can kick your ass. And kicking ass is the specialty of his most famous character, Rip Wheeler from the hit series "Yellowstone." He's the show's man in black, his dark cowboy hat often coated in trail dust, shades hiding his intense eyes, black beard covering a mouth that seldom smiles. The absolute opposite of a pretty boy, he's never chatty-and when he does talk it's often with a bit of menace in his voice. He's not the kind of guy to take a back seat to anything.

Leader of the Lost Boys

Mike Rypka loves smoking cigars with his friends so much, he bought his neighbor's house and transformed it into a smoking lounge

A Major Celebration - pro golfer and cigar lover Xander Schauffele was ready to unwind after winning the PGA Championship in May

Cigars are meant for celebration, so when pro golfer and cigar lover Xander Schauffele was ready to unwind after winning the PGA Championship in May, he lit up.It was a time of immense relief. Despite being a marquee name in golf, with a Gold Medal and a Ryder Cup among his wins, the 30-year-old Schauffele was haunted by another distinction: the back-handed compliment of being on the list of the best golfers never to win a major. He had come ohso-close in many majors, finishing second twice, and seven times in the top 10. But in May, when his final putt-just over six feet in length-dropped for a birdie, the wait was over. He raised both arms in celebration, a huge smile spreading across his face. He was finally a major champion.

The Professional

Josh Brolin was born into a show business family, but his road to screen stardom has taken him down many paths

THE TOBACCO TITAN

Fifth-generation tobacco man Nestor Andrés Plasencia follows in his father's footsteps as the largest grower of cigar tobacco in Central America

The Bonding Experience

More bottled-in-bond whiskeys are entering the market, and they deliver some of the finest drinking experiences around

THE BIGGEST BET

POWERBALL AND OTHER LOTTERIES OFFER THE BIGGEST PAYOUTS IN GAMBLING, AND SOME PROFESSIONALS HAVE FOUND WAYS TO GAME THE SYSTEM

WINNING THE BIG ONE

HOW MULTIMILLION DOLLAR JACKPOTS CHANGED THE LIVES OF THREE WINNERS

TIGER & RORY'S NEW GOLF LEAGUE

A new kind of golf tournament is coming to prime time. Big-name pros and big-money investors are going in on TGL Golf

McIntosh 75th Anniversary Power Amplifier

Last year, in an interview with CIGAR AFICIONADO, the cigar-smoking president of McIntosh Labs, Charlie Randall, hinted that something immense was coming in 2024 for the audio company's 75th anniversary.

The Lodge at Sea Island, Georgia

Guests sip sundowners as a lone bagpiper plays off the day while strolling around the waterfront putting green at The Lodge at Sea Island.

The Year of the Chronographs

Second only to the ubiquitous date display, the chronograph, or stopwatch function, is the most common watch complication. This year was a particularly significant vintage for chronographs, including three that stand apart for technical milestones and sheer design audacity.

2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

“There's no replacement for displacement,\" or so goes the classic sports car rule.

Pure Bred Lamb

Ingredients are either exceptional or they’re not. That’s the maxim of Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller, and we happen to agree, especially when it comes to sourcing something as spiritually symbolic as lamb for spring consumption.

Armagnac Vs. Cognac

If you know Cognac, you’re among the many who know the global brandy phenomenon that has carved out a niche with cigar smokers. Those who know Armagnac are in much shorter supply, even while France’s other brandy has a longer heritage and rivals Cognac in connoisseurship. The uninitiated are forever asking, “Which is better?”

Glammed-Up Golf Gloves

In the dream scenario, you return to your regular weekend foursome on opening day with a brand-new swing, devoid of that accursed slice or nagging hook.

CIGAR AFICIONADO'S 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT A YEAR'S WORTH OF CIGAR RATINGS

Secretariat's Ride to Derby Glory

Even the most hallowed of sports records get eclipsed. Roger Bannister was the first to run a four-minute mile, but that feat has been vanquished again and again.

The Drink of the Derby

More than 120,000 icy cold Mint Juleps will be served on May 4 at Churchill Downs

150 Years of the Kentucky Derby

CIGAR AFICIONADO'S GUIDE TO THE MOST EXCITING TWO MINUTES IN SPORTS

A Guide to Churchill Downs

If you’re going to watch the Derby in person, it pays to know the finest spots

Living for the Track

FanDuel host Michael Joyce has been in love with horse racing since he was a boy