Good Cheer and High Spirits

My good friend Steve Shaw Jr. invited us to his Autumn Tasting Extravaganza! “Alcohol is often geography based. Think of it as liquid Geography”- Steve Shaw Jr

The Diva Gals got quite an international tour that night!

Here is what we tried:

Cockspur Rum for Barbados which is a molasses based rum making it a little darker and richer than your average Caribbean pirate fair.

Comandon Cognac from France is on the forefront of the boutique cognac movement. “Cognac is Brandy, But not all brandy is cognac.”-Frank Vigneron. Frank is right, warm, creamy, smooth is what this superb cognac tastes like. (the packaging the bottles come incased in is also irresistible.

IceBerg Vodka from Canada is a spirit we love! Clean and cold is how I like it. (you might also try it with pineapple coconut water and and a twist of lime)

There was also Diablito Mezcal and Quinta De Gomez Tequila both from Mexico.

My friends liked them both. I did not get a chance to taste them or I would not have had the presence of mind to write this article.

I like to save the best for last (yes I’m bias). Shaw Vineyards from the Finger lakes in upstate New York.

Wine is usually my “juice” of choice. The cooler weather definitely calls for red. Shaw Vineyard’s Cabernet Franc 2007 Reserve Steve Sr. tells me is, “Barrel aged for 36 months in French Oak Barrels. It was a good season with concentrated fruit, resulting in a lovely old world style Cab Franc”

I am also quite fond of Shaw Vineyards’s LiBella 2010 Pinot Grigio.