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 are available at most local wine shops . Head on over to Ecco Domani for the full list of winetail recipes.

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.