Xante Tasting and USBGNY Luncheon

Mmmmm! In the snow...where are my Dogs?! MUSH!

The fine people at USBGNY (Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash) and the Macao Trading Co hosted a luncheon today with the Xante & Heering folks from Sweden. Mixoligist Richard Broni was on hand to whip up some tasty cocktails. Xante does incredibly well in their corner of the world and they are anxious to have more exposure here. Straight I found it sweet and candy like. The pear gets lost in the brown sugar and cognac, but it could add a surprising element to some classic and new cocktails.

A favorite was the Bourbon Bliss, a Xante version of the whiskey sour with mint. Perfect for all day sipping on the porch on a breezy summer's day. Also tasty was the Xante Cucumber Tease with gin, lemon, cucumber and ginger ale and a dry cocktail of Xante, Saki and grapefruit zest.

Nearly 200 years old, Cherry Heering is perhaps most popular in the Blood and Sand and Singapore Sling. It has become a staple in classic cocktail establishments. But Mr. Broni's cocktails take on a fresh fruity vibe that might do very well outside this provincial cocktail geekdom that our corner of New York City has become.

I also had the chance to taste their new Coffee Heering in some cocktails. I first tried this liquor at Tales Of The Cocktail in New Orleans and was very excited. Now, we are still awaiting its launch here in the US, but I was told it should be this Spring. The Coffee Heering, like Brinley Gold Coffee, is also rum based, but adds a layer of dark chocolate flavor. The coffee flavor seems toasted and roasted, almost burned like Starbucks Coffee.

Our favorite cocktail was a sweet burst of lemon, Coffee and a Brandied cherry. Lemon, coffee seemed like a good breakfast drink to myself and Ms. Carmen Operetta (Libation Girl). Clearly most people would be horrified, but I am sure her morning starts after noon, and that is Cocktail-O-Clock to me.

James Menite and myself were quite amused by the very beautiful, very glossy, very European ad campaign for Xante. It is aimed at women, as men are portrayed as dogs, sometimes quite literally pulling a sled and fetching birds, while women pursue activities such as hunting, sledding, croquet. Its nice to see a bit of reverse sexism in liquor ads. I mean, those Jim Beam "Be a real man and rent puppies to pick up chicks" is cute but it does kinda piss me off.

But whatever...these pictures are pretty! Our favorite was the lady lounging in a crew boat while shirtless men rowed. James cast himself as a dainty coxswain with a poodle demanding they row harder, "Abigail likes it fast!"

Indeed, James, indeed.

Come see the Unimaginable Pleasure for yourself here.