Move over Cape Cods, cosmos and Long Island iced teas; there’s a new league of libations in town. Ecco Domani winemakers have concocted a line of mixed drinks they’ve dubbed “winetails.” This clever variation on the cocktail is mixed with Ecco Domani wines, fresh fruit juices and a number of other tasty treats, like ginger and chocolate.

Ecco Domani teamed up with Alex Ott, a master mixologist, to create scads of signature drinks. Every winetail is mixed with one of the three Ecco Domani varietals; pinot grigio, Chianti and merlot.

There are eight different winetails to wet your whistle, two for every season. This winter’s selections are the Ecco Sidro, a spicy mix of chai, apple cider and Chianti and the Cannella Domani, a mix of cinnamon, oranges, lemon, cloves and merlot, served hot.

To promote what Ecco Domani calls “the hottest new trend in drinks,” they have been hosting “Winetail Wednesdays.” They treat entire magazine staffs to their latest concoctions made by the master mixologist himself. They’ve held tastings at several magazine offices in the New York City area including People, Niche Media, Redbook, Women’s Day and NYLON.

While working at NYLON I was lucky enough to attend one of these “Winetail Wednesdays,” and take it from me, these drinks are delectable. My personal favorites would have to be the Ecco Cioccolato, a combination of raspberries, cocoa and Chianti and the Domani Limonata, a fresh blend of lemons, peach, apple, and guava juices and pinot grigio.

Ecco Domani wines...

New Mexico is known for its interesting geography, diverse cultural influences and activities like skiing. But none of these elements creep into the state’s new ad campaign where TV commercials feature aliens and the tagline “the best place in the universe.”

The ad doesn’t explicitly mention New Mexico’s famous Roswell alien connection but the connection is clear and the X-Files style characters are creating an uproar amongst some New Mexico residents and tourism officials.

According to an Associated Press story:

"New Mexico has a lot to offer—we don't need to bring our standards down," said Ken Mompellier, head of the convention and visitors bureau in Las Cruces, the state's fast-growing second-largest city, which has refused to use the alien ads to bolster local tourism pitches, as it normally would.

"My first question would be: What does this campaign show of the things that we are known for?" Mompellier asked. "I look at this campaign and I don't see the fit. And the things I'm hearing from people, some of it is very negative."

My guess is the TV spots wouldn’t be drawing so much negative attention if they used cute E.T.-like creatures instead of the scaly, grotesque ones that made the final cut.

Cadillac is finally getting some accolades. Motor Trend has named the 2008 CTS its ’08 Car of the Year, saying it’s proof General Motors is capable of building a world-class vehicle.

The CTS was chosen from what Motor Trend called one of the toughest groups of cars in the award’s history. It was selected from a field of 18 vehicles that also included the new Honda Accord. In order to be eligible for the award, a vehicle has to be new or redesigned within a year of the award date of January 1, 2008.

The award is further proof that Cadillac is on the right track with the sporty, hip designs it’s been producing over the past several years. Motor Trend’s Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie agrees:

"The CTS obliterates the old man image of Cadillac," MacKenzie said. "This car will turn heads in the same way the elite European models do, but it is unmistakably American."

The mix tape occupies a special place in American culture. Some consider it an art form of sorts. Mix tape aficionados will tell you that a mix is like a personal statement or a reflection of a certain mood or memory. If given as a gift, the compilation serves as an outlet of self-expression. A lot of time and thought goes into the process of making the perfect mix, the song selection, the ordering, the name of the mix. The saying, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts,” definitely applies here. It’s about the whole package, and 5inch.com is making it a whole lot easier to create that perfect personalized package.

5inch.com is taking the mix tape (i.e. compilation CD) to another level with customized silk-screened CDRs. You’ve got your choice of over 50 quirky designs to choose from including orbiting satellites, a scene of the apocalypse and even a cassette tape for those feeling wistful. Now you can make that mix of heartbreak songs, slap them onto the CDR screened with a print of a composition notebook, write some custom liner notes and voila, it’s like your own personal audio journal.

The discs come in packages of 10, 25, 50 and 100. If you’re not willing to commit to one design, 5inch offers a custom sampler. Choose any 10 designs to create your perfect pack of CDs. Make them as diverse as the mixes you’ll be burning onto them. One for the road trip, maybe one to reminisce and of course one devoted to your biggest crush. With 5inch.com’s silk-screened CDs there’s a print for every occasion…or emotion.

Radiohead’s pay what you wish strategy for their latest album isn’t just influencing other bands. It’s carrying over into the world of tangible media. One of my fav publications Paste magazine recently started offering pay what you wish subscriptions and now Premier Guitar magazine is following suit.

Regular annual subscriptions to Premier had cost $14.95 and online content has been free. The magazine, which bills itself as a monthly for “serious and accomplished guitarists,” also created a social network for guitarists this year. The pay what you wish subscriptions will be offered to the magazine's 15,000 current subscribers and to non-subscribers, according to Folio.

“What we’re looking to do is create exposure for a relatively new magazine,” says Peter Sprague, president of Premier parent Gearhead Communications.