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I am the senior features editor of Cigar Aficionado, where I have worked for the past 10 years. Among my duties are editing the "Good Life Guide" and "Made for You" sections as well as writing most of the magazine's spirits and fashion coverage.
Working here has been a great journey for me in the appreciation of the finer things (much of which I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford). It is tremendously fascinating to sample and write about products in many different spheres that are created with the same passion for pursuing the highest possible standards. I consider it a mission to make the world safe for the good life. My wife has made it her responsibility to remind me not to take my palate or myself too seriously.
I was hired at Cigar Aficionado not for my background in cigars (I had smoked only a couple handfuls before I walked through the door), but for my editorial ability, especially in covering the good life. I like to think, however, that in any religion, the converts are among the most zealous. It was certainly true for me when I saw the light and began smoking great cigars in earnest. My conversion was helped not a little when I realized how well cigars paired with spirits, my other great devotion. I am now part of the panel that smokes and rates cigars.
My career (and I'm not including serving as a deckhand on an ocean-going yacht or building docks in New England here) has always been in journalism, both as a writer and editor. I've worked on or written for a wide array of newspapers and magazines, and even did a short gig with a medical trade journal. Just prior to coming to Cigar Aficionado, I was an editor for Travel Holiday and M magazines. I have also written a book on barbecue and a travel guide of New York City.
I live in Connecticut with my wife and daughters and commute to New York on Metro North Railroad and its bar cars, which are currently under attack from the health police. Every night I mix a Manhattan, light a cigar and drink a toast to the demise of the nanny state. Recent blog posts by Jack Bettridge Recent web features by Jack Bettridge Recent magazine articles by Jack Bettridge
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