This Holiday Season, give a gift  that will get even your Grinchiest guests in the spirit – sophisticated table wine. VOGA Italia hails from Italy, the country best known for producing some of the world’s best wine as well as its’ keen sense of style. VOGA Italia encompasses all aspects offering a collection of crisp delicious wine thoughtfully packaged in a revolutionary re-designed bottle featuring a unique resealable cap. 

Since the company’s inception, VOGA has earned numerous awards and accolades for their sleek and sexy glass cylindrical bottle, presentation and most importantly taste.  The collection retails from $10.99 to $15.99 and includes Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Moscato, Quattro, Sparkling Pinot Grigio and Sparkling Pinot Grigio Chardonnay. VOGA is available in over 62 countries, hundreds of major cities, and can be found in thousands of the world’s trendiest bars, restaurants and shops. Wherever, whenever, if you are drinking VOGA you are drinking IN Style.

This Thanksgiving, shake up some wine cocktails with a holiday twist that will get even your Grinchiest guests in the spirit. VOGA’s Thanksgiving Sangria is sure to spice up your Thanksgiving dinner and kick start the holiday season.

Trick-or-treating may be for kids but Halloween stirs up sweet tooths spanning all ages.  For adults looking to stock their Halloween party bar with cocktails worthy of this sinfully sweet holiday, Van Gogh Vodka’s new irresistible Rich Dark Chocolate flavor is perfect for shaking up a spookily delicious drink.  With its naturally infused complex, dark cocoa taste, it is appreciated well-chilled and straight and also pairs well with a number of flavors and beverages.

Make hosting the party a breeze by serving a pitcher drink that you can make in bulk ahead of time.  The Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash’s Van Goghst Punch is easy to make and sure to please a crowd, mixing the Van Gogh Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka with fruit juices and sodas for a unique and unexpectedly refreshing cocktail.  Or for a single serving cocktail that is both sweet and tart, try the Maple Basil Sour, also developed by Jonathan Pogash.

Planning any end of summer cocktail stories? As the season winds down, late summer fruit takes center stage, with farmer’s markets and grocers overflowing with ripe peaches, fresh apricots, and the first apples of the season. Savor the final days of August with the Late Summer Sangria recipe from VOGA Italia, the thoughtfully packaged Italian wine with a uniquely designed resealable top.

Moscato offers subtle bubbles to any white sangria recipe, with light floral notes that blend perfectly with peach and citrus flavors.

I was introduced to Virginia wines about seven years ago when a friend took me on a midweek whirlwind day tour of several vineyards on the Loudoun Wine Trail. Prior to that day, my wine experience was limited to drinking it in restaurants, homemade sangria and occasional bottles purchased for special occasions. I had no idea that local wine existed. The day spent in Virginia Wine Country opened my eyes to the joys of Virginia wine forever and I feel a sense of pride whenever friends or family try Virginia wine for the first time.

Now that I live in a more rural area, I have vineyards and wineries practically in my back yard and I delight in taking a break on a gorgeous weekday and visiting a new vineyard or two when I get the chance. During my explorations, I’ve had the opportunity to visit the well-known vineyards as well as some of the lesser known vineyards that are closer to my neck of the woods. Here are my reasons for choosing these four gems:

Fair or not, perception is reality. People we meet every day in business and social settings make snap judgments about us that will likely influence our entire future relationship with them. Volumes have been written on how to make a good first impression, from the proper amount of time to hold eye contact, to the strength and duration of a good handshake, down to the shine on your shoes, all aspects of one’s appearance and demeanor are closely scrutinized and judged.

It is with that thought in mind that you should look at the glass in your other hand. What you drink helps flesh out the snapshot of who you are. For some women, it can be tough to be taken seriously in the old-boys-club situations that are still so common in politics and business.

Mojito
1.25 oz Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp simple syrup
1/2 lime
2 oz soda
Place mint leaves and 1/2 lime in bottom of glass and muddle. Pour crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, simple syrup, and shake. Add soda water and garnish with sugar cane, umbrella, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Pina Coloda
6 oz Bacardi® black rum
8 oz Coco Lopez® cream of coconut
8 oz pineapple juice
1 pineapple wedge
Combine rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice in a regular sized blender. Blend on low speed, and fill with ice. Blend on high speed until ice is grainy. Pour into a hurricane glass, garnish with a
pineapple wedge, and serve.

4 oz. Sparkling Wine
½ oz 1800 Silver Tequila
½ oz Soho Lychee Liquor
½ oz Raspberry Liquor

Combine ingredient in a mixing glass and pour into the bottom of a champagne flute.
Top with sparkling wine or champagne.

A light 1800 Silver cocktail with hints of pomegranate and fresh juices, perfect for your holiday meal.

2 oz 1800

1 oz Pama Pomegranate Liquor

½ oz Pineapple Juice

Pour all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass

Ideal for Holiday parties, Limoncello and sparkling wine accent the sweetness and light flavors of 1800 silver tequila.

½ oz 1800 Tequila

½ oz Limoncello

1 oz Sparkling Wine

Combine 1800 and Limoncello then pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Sparkling wine or Champagne.

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1800® Tequila is the United States’ best selling super-premium tequila, renowned for being expertly aged and consistently smooth.  Named after the year it was created, 1800® Tequila is pure, 100% blue agave tequila grown on family-owned ranches and bottled in Jalisco, Mexico.  Each bottle of 1800® Tequila is double-distilled and matured in French and American oak barrels for superior drinkability.  1800® Tequila is recognized for its iconic packaging which includes a stopper that doubles as a shot glass.  The complete 1800® Tequila portfolio includes Select Silver, the first 100-proof Silver tequila, Silver, Reposado, Añejo, and 1800® Colección, an extra-añejo tequila, that is released annually in highly limited quantities.  1800® Tequila is available nationwide at most exclusive bars and retailers.