Cigar Aficionado

Hot cider, turning foliage and pumpkin-flavored everything might be the stuff of our leafy fall fantasies, but let’s be honest: There’s little room for the cigar smoker when it comes to the autumnal weekend getaway. Even parking lots are going smoke free.

Our advice: Go to Princeton. You know, that historical town in New Jersey right in between New York City and Philadelphia? Sure, there’s that nice little college in Princeton, but there’s also a beautiful, picture-perfect property called The Peacock Inn—and they welcome cigar smokers. 

While many inns pretend to offer that elusive balance of folksy charm and high-end hospitality, the Peacock Inn actually succeeds. Granted, you can’t smoke inside or at the bar, but nobody will give you so much as a second glance for waltzing your cocktail outside to the Victorian-style porch or retiring to the newly renovated back yard, cigar in hand. In fact, it’s encouraged.

Matches and ashtrays should already be waiting for you. If not, the staff will be more than happy to oblige. There are no righteous pronouncements or dubious expressions from the staff when you mention cigars. They simply point you in the right direction with a smile.

One could go on about the Inn’s urbane craft cocktail program, or its great selection of whiskies or the fact that the restaurant’s wine list has been a recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the last six years. But few know about its proprietary Bourbon.

They don’t talk about it on their website, but the Peacock Inn has secured a private barrel of Buffalo Trace made especially for them. Or, more appropriately, made especially for you. Ask for it neat or explore its mixological possibilities in one of the Inn’s many creative cocktails. Want something stronger? The Old Smokey Beast is a Scotch-based cocktail of Laphroaig, cherry-pear nectar, orange and cherry bitters.

The town itself is as quaint as the Inn, full of beautiful homes and boutique shopping. Almost everything in the village is within walking distance, and if you’ve forgotten your cigars at home, not to worry: There’s a great tobacconist called A Little Taste of Cuba just a short, scenic stroll away. 

The Peacock Inn has been a Princeton mainstay for more than 100 years and will make you feel like you’ve walked right into the frames of a postcard as soon as you head up its florid front steps—only in this postcard, you’ll be enjoying a cigar.

The Peacock Inn
20 Bayard Lane
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-1707
www.peacockinn.com
reservations@thepeacockinn.com